David's Debt (First Wave Book 11)

by Mikayla Lane

  “It may be more complicated than we initially thought,” Tiernan whispered, feeling the shift in the energy around them as the guards found the hybrid David had stuffed into a hall closet earlier.

  “Just get to the damn garden area,” David growled.

  He waited until Tiernan ran down the stairs before following, carrying the still unconscious boy over his shoulder. David turned at the landing and almost lost the boy as he lunged out of the way of a guard running up the stairs.

  “Careful Dad,” Tiernan warned, his hands up in front of him as if he were ready to do something to help.

  “Just go!” David urged.

  Tiernan led the way down to the first floor, this time staying close to David. He took them down the hallway and past the kitchen where the back door was that they had intended on leaving by.

  David was getting ready to ask where Tiernan was taking them when they ended up in a lounge and he sighed in relief when he noticed the French doors leading to the garden area. David shifted Phillip to his other shoulder and reached out to the door handle when Tiernan stopped him.

  “Don’t! They’ve rearmed the system. Give me a minute,” Tiernan said as he held his hands up in front of the doors.

  David watched as a cloud of shimmering darkness crept from the corners of the room towards the doors. Moments later the entire door frame was encompassed in shadows.

  “Let’s go!” Tiernan whispered urgently as he pulled open the door and ran outside.

  David wasted no time following his son and jumped over small shrubs and bushes to keep up with the quickly moving boy. In no time they were standing at the wall that separated the mansion grounds from the street beyond.

  “Port!” David growled into his comm as guards streamed into the garden area.

  When moments passed, and they didn’t port, David looked at his comm and saw that the screen was completely blank.

  What the hell? David wondered.

  “Their systems are back online, and they’re blocking our comms. They know we’re here,” Tiernan snarled, not even trying to hide his presence anymore.

  Shouts went up around the garden as Tiernan’s voice was heard and guards began converging on them. David cursed loudly, pissed off that none of this had gone as planned. Mostly because of his son’s reckless behavior.

  He was just setting Phillip behind a bush to hide him when Tiernan’s body began to shimmer in and out of visibility. David heard the telltale sign of weapons being drawn and he pulled his own, praying Dizarion had listened and gotten Jodi back to the ship unharmed.

  “You’re done.” Was all Tiernan said as his chameleon abilities failed completely and he became visible again.

  David aimed his gun at the closest guard to his son when Tiernan raised his arms above his head and snarled at the oncoming security personnel. Seconds later the boy blinked out of view and a wave of darkness began flowing outward from where he’d been.

  David didn’t even have time to pull the trigger before the dark wave hit the closest guard and he disappeared into the inky blackness. When the wave passed heading towards the others, David could see there was nothing left of the first man but bones laying on the ground where the guy had previously stood.

  Chapter Seventeen

  David watched in shock as the dark wave of energy went through each one of the guards in the garden, leaving no one but him and Tiernan standing.

  “We should go before they send more,” Tiernan whispered near David’s ear, startling him.

  David wanted answers but knew that now was not the time for it. Instead, he hefted Phillip back over his shoulder and stared down at his son.

  “Port!” David called into his comm and sighed in relief as he felt himself being pulled into the ship.

  The moment he reached the ship David handed Phillip to Dizarion and looked down to see what was happening in the garden. Gunfire erupted beneath them from the new security personnel that streamed from the house, and David shook his head at the stupid people firing at nothing.

  “I should have gotten them all and leveled the place,” Tiernan muttered from beside David.

  With no warning, David snatched hold of his son and pulled him down to his lap. Within seconds, Tiernan’s bottom was bare and red from David’s first slap to his ass.

  “If you ever scare me like that again, I’m going to lay your ass bare right then and there!” David growled as Jodi gasped in shock.

  After two more spanks, David finally pulled Tiernan back to his feet and looked into his tear filled eyes.

  “You’re reckless and dangerous! You not only almost got yourself killed, you almost got Phillip, and I killed too! You can’t just run around acting like that! Power means nothing if you have no discipline or thought behind it!” David felt terrible now that his fear and anger were dissipating, but he knew his son needed to hear it.

  “David!” Jodi hissed as she looked ready to kill David.

  Tiernan turned watery eyes to his mother and shook his head.

  “He’s right, Mom. I’m sorry,” Tiernan whispered before he ran into his room.

  David could tell by the way Jodi was standing with her hands on her hips that she wasn’t the least bit placated by Tiernan’s admission and was prepared to defend her son when Dizarion began clapping.

  Both parents looked at the Night Walker in surprise as Dizarion chuckled, his eyes glittering with mirth.

  “He needed it. He is reckless and a danger to himself and others. It’s about time someone told him that,” Dizarion stated, crossing his arms over his chest as if to dare anyone to disagree with him.

  Jodi glared at each of the men in turn before she zeroed in on David.

  “What happened? Who’s the boy?” Jodi demanded.

  “His name is Phillip. Apparently, the president’s wife is a pedophile and likes to train them young. We found him strapped to a bed. As far as the rest of it, our son knew the boy was being watched and flipped off the crazy bitch, letting them know we were there,” David explained, seeing Jodi’s eyes widen in surprise and concern.

  “Why would Tiernan put you in danger? There has to be more to it than that! Did you get his relic?” Jodi argued, sure her son wouldn’t be that careless.

  David sighed and nodded his head, tired from carrying Phillip and the stress associated with his impulsive son.

  “Yes, he has his relic,” David said as he moved to the couch and plopped down on it. He turned to Dizarion. “What the hell did he do to those men? Nothing was left but bones.”

  Dizarion merely shrugged as if it were nothing to turn people into dust. His reaction unsettled David who was still in shock over what Tiernan had done.

  “He did what?” Jodi asked, her face pale.

  “I allowed the dark energy to consume them. They were all bad people for letting that woman do those things to poor Phillip, not including the ones before him. The husband is no better,” Tiernan whispered as he came out of his room and sniffled.

  David looked over at his son and felt his heart clench at the sad and wounded look on Tiernan’s face. He hardened himself against the urge to comfort his son.

  “What exactly does that mean?” David asked.

  When Tiernan only looked at his feet, David turned to Dizarion for an explanation.

  “He combusted a wave of dark energy.” Dizarion grinned as he spoke, as if proud of the boy warrior. “He used the energy wave like gasoline, then ignited it with his Prime abilities. It’s a near instantaneous incineration of anyone who resonates with evil. It only works for small areas, but it was a good tactic for the situation you were in.”

  Jodi looked at Tiernan, her face a mask of surprise as David shook his head. He tried to clear his mind of the questions he had and focus on what was important right now.

  “Don’t you need to bond with the relic?” David asked his son wondering if the boy had already done it.

  Tiernan nodded his head and pulled the small stone tablet from inside his shirt and David was
able to get a better look at it. It was thinner than he’d expected, maybe an inch thick at the most and at least six inches around.

  Though David couldn’t read the symbols on the square tablet, they seemed to resonate within him, sending his energy thumping through his body.

  Tiernan ran his finger across the symbols etched into the stone tablet, and each lit up with a golden haze before winking out when he moved to the next.

  “It will be brief. Be strong,” Dizarion urged as he put a hand on Tiernan’s shoulder and squeezed it in support then stepped away from the boy.

  “What will be brief?” David asked as fear shot through him.

  “Don’t worry, Dad. The spanking will have hurt worse because I disappointed you,” Tiernan whispered as he took off his shirt, exposing the sigils embedded in his flesh.

  Before David could ask what they were talking about, Tiernan placed the tablet against his chest with the symbols facing his body. The boy closed his eyes and began chanting in a language that sounded vaguely familiar before the tablet burst into a golden light.

  Jodi screamed, and Dizarion had to stop her from grabbing Tiernan as the tablet began to glow a bright gold and Tiernan emitted a piercing scream of pain. The boy flung his arms wide, the stone tablet somehow still held to his chest, and a transparent golden bubble surrounded him.

  Seconds later Tiernan screamed in agony as the tablet began to embed itself into his chest, near his heart. David growled and pounded on the barrier stopping him from saving his son as Tiernan clenched his fists from the pain, his body shaking uncontrollably as the stone relic began to disappear into him.

  “Help him,” Jodi cried, clutching David’s shirt in desperation.

  “Do not touch the host!” The Prime beast, Carasus, within Tiernan warned.

  David remembered what had happened when Lara bonded with her Prime beast, but this wasn’t the same. Tiernan was in agony, and there wasn’t anything he could do to help or stop it. He pounded helplessly against the shield again, trying to vent his frustration.

  Suddenly, his hands went through the barrier, and he grabbed Tiernan as the boy began to fall to the floor. David watched in awe as the final piece of the relic disappeared into Tiernan’s chest. The symbols that were on the relic glowed beneath Tiernan’s skin before finally winking out, and he smiled up at David weakly.

  “It’s OK, Dad. It’s over,” Tiernan whispered before he passed out.

  David growled in anger and immediately checked the boy’s pulse to make sure he was still all right before he turned his rage on the grinning Night Walker.

  “Why the fuck didn’t you warn us?” David clenched his fists at his side.

  “You would have tried to stop what had to be done. The pain was fleeting compared to the power he now holds. Besides, I am not Prime, I didn’t realize it would be that bad either,” Dizarion admitted the last with a tender look at Tiernan.

  David wanted to vent his rage on someone, but he knew those present weren’t the ones that needed to feel it. Instead, he looked over at a wide-eyed Phillip and wondered just how much the kid had seen.

  Expelling a heavy sigh, David lifted Tiernan into Jodi’s arms and kissed his forehead tenderly before gesturing to Tiernan’s room.

  “Make sure he’s OK while I talk to Phillip,” David whispered and nodded to the silent and unmoving boy sitting across the room.

  Jodi glanced at the frightened boy before nodding her head in understanding. Without a word she quickly left the room and shut the door behind them.

  David watched amusement come over Dizarion’s face as he crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a dark brow at him. He knew there would be no help from the Night Walker in explaining this to the scared child. He moved slowly towards the kid and knelt down a few feet from him, forcing a smile.

  “I know you’re scared, but I promise we won’t hurt you in any way. Do you have a family? Is someone looking for you?” David asked, hoping to put the focus on the boy and not what he’d seen.

  Phillip just shook his head, leaving David to wonder if the kid was answering his questions or just in shock. He decided to try again.

  “Were you taken from a family?” David asked.

  Phillip nodded, and David tried to tamp down his irritation, his mind wandering to Tiernan and if his son were OK.

  “Where is your mom?” David asked.

  “Atlanta,” Phillip replied almost woodenly.

  “Did they kidnap you?” David asked needing more information if they were to find his family.

  Phillip shook his head, then nodded. David wiped a hand down his face in frustration.

  “What’s your mom’s name? We can find her and get you there. Do you have an address?” David was beginning to wonder if the kid needed treatment for shock.

  Phillip looked like he was about to cry and drew his legs to his chest, putting his head on his knees. David knew he needed to go a little slower with the boy, but his concern for his own son weighed on him.

  “Give me a second to make sure my son is OK, and we’ll see what we can do about finding your mom,” David said as he stood.

  “I will make him some chocolate milk and cookies. He may be hungry,” Dizarion suggested as David walked by.

  “Thanks,” David muttered as he headed to Tiernan’s door.

  He entered the room without knocking and immediately went to the bed where Jodi was sitting beside a still unconscious Tiernan. The boy looked worryingly pale, and David sat beside Jodi and touched Tiernan’s chest. He sighed in relief at the strong heartbeat and deep, even breathing he felt.

  “He hasn’t woken up yet,” Jodi whispered in concern.

  “He’s breathing well, and his heartbeat is perfect,” David assured her, wishing they’d brought a doctor or even a Med-Tech with them.

  “I’m scared for him. This is all too much. He’s just a boy. It isn’t fair,” Jodi snapped before she burst into tears.

  David put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back into his chest, rocking them both slightly to try and calm her down. He had always loved having her in his arms and this time was no different as his hands lovingly caressed her arms and shoulders.

  “This is all a wreck, but Tiernan has his relic, and Dizarion said he’d be nearly invincible. At least we know he won’t get hurt or killed now,” David said with a sigh of relief at the last.

  “A wreck?” Jodi asked, turning to stare at David in shock. “This is a fucking nightmare! He’s a child! Destined to be some warrior of humanity. Why? People suck, and my son shouldn’t sacrifice himself for their selfish, deluded and lazy asses!”

  David couldn’t help but chuckle at Jodi’s words. It reminded him of how spirited she’d been when they’d first met and throughout their marriage. He also agreed with her on some of it.

  “Not everyone deserves to die, and some just need to be taught there’s a better way. You know as well as anyone how many are being deliberately led to the pharmaceutical drugs that are designed to control people. Take people off the unnecessary drugs, and you’d be surprised how many wake up to what’s going on around them,” David whispered, smiling down at Jodi’s surprised face.

  “You’re defending them? That evil woman who kidnapped Phillip?” Jodi was shocked David could change so much.

  David emphatically shook his head and pulled her back to his chest.

  “I wasn’t talking about people like that, they deserve death. I was referring to ordinary people being pumped full of chemical laden food, pharmaceuticals, and dumbed down educational standards, so they’re easier to control.” David could think of dozens of humans the alliance had helped to break free of the elites trying to enslave them.

  “It shouldn’t have to be him. He’s just a baby.” Jodi sniffed and looked down at her precious son.

  “He’s got time to grow up like any other child. Look at it this way, every parent spends the kid’s childhood hoping their baby grows up to be a decent person, or a doctor or fireman. We already
know what he’s going to grow up to be and it’s hard not to be proud of someone who might save the world and humanity,” David whispered, unable to stop himself from kissing the top of her head.

  Jodi snorted then turned to look up at him with a beautiful smile on her face.

  “He’s an awesome kid. I could never imagine him being anything but incredible,” Jodi whispered, then looked back down at Tiernan.

  David hated to pull away when Jodi was being so friendly and like her old self but he knew that Phillip had to be dealt with before he could concentrate on putting his family back together again.

  He gave her one last kiss on the top of her head before he stood. The look on Jodi’s face almost made him sit back down beside her, but she gently pushed at his stomach and forced a smile.

  “Go take care of that one, and I’ll keep watch over ours. I’ll let you know the moment Tiernan wakes up or anything changes.” Jodi motioned to the door with one last smile before she turned back to her son.

  David forced himself to the door knowing if he didn’t leave then he never would and stumbled outside. He was a little surprised to see Phillip sitting at the dining table eating a cookie and chatting with Dizarion.

  “There you are!” Dizarion said with a grin. “We were just talking about what happened with Phillip and how to get him home.”

  David could tell by the edge to Dizarion’s voice that he wasn’t going to like what he was going to hear. He went to the replicator and ordered two stiff drinks. Since they were safely headed home, David saw no reason not to after the week he’d had.

  Once he had his glass, David went to the table, set one down in front of Dizarion, who nodded his head in thanks then sat down beside Phillip.

  “So how do we find your mom?” David asked before taking a large sip of his drink. The scotch burned on its way down, and David welcomed it.

  Phillip looked up at David with his eyes filling with tears, and Dizarion cleared his throat and drew David’s attention to him.

  “Phillip said that he was taken away from his mom by child services because they were homeless for a few weeks. When she finally got a place and tried to get him back, they wouldn’t return him and severed her parental rights. He was in state care when his foster parents put him up on a website and sold him to the woman in France. He doesn’t know where his mom is right now,” Dizarion explained, trying not to grit his teeth over his rage at what happened to the innocent boy and his mother.