“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Julian’s lips pressed together, his eyebrows drew close. “I have an idea, it won’t be pleasant, but it may be the only way to keep Gerard from possessing you tonight.”
Dread curdled in his stomach. "Tell me."
“You’ll have to die.”
"Well that's a novel idea. You can kill me and it's over, makes sense. Why didn't I think of that?" Fallon snapped.
Julian stared at him, his gaze flat. “Theoretically I can stop your heart with drugs and because you are immortal, you won’t be dead right away, but in a type of stasis.”
“Theoretically?” Fallon tugged at the straps. “How about a plan with more assuredness included?”
“I am certain it will work,” Roderick walked in, his sheer size shrinking the already tiny room. “I will be here the entire time and restart your heart at day break.”
Fallon swallowed, not sure. It wasn’t that he feared death, if he didn’t reach his next birthday, so be it. But something tugged at him and he realized what it was.
He hoped it wasn’t too late.
“I need to rescind the bond with Tonia. Get Logan back in here.”
Chapter 17
“That’s our flight,” Douglas told Tonia shoving his half-eaten sandwich back into the crumpled paper bag. “They always call for boarding as soon as I take a bite of my burger,” he grumbled, picking up his large bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
Tonia frowned. “It’s your third burger Douglas. I think you’ll be all right.”
“I only ate one, the second and third are in the bag getting cold.”
With their ward in tow, they made their way to the gate, ahead of the long line of people, several who eyed them with suspicion. The small woman between them held her new carry-on close to her body as if afraid it would get snatched. Tonia understood, everything the woman owned was in the bag.
Once seated, the woman glanced at her, her anxiety obvious. “I hate flying.”
Tonia nodded in agreement. “I’m not fond of it either, Emily.”
Emily Williams, her new name, looked out of the window. Tonia studied the frail woman’s profile. The trial convicting her husband of money laundering ended the day before, and she’d been a prime witness. Even under the threat of death, Emily had testified without faltering once. Her small and delicate features shocked those in attendance when she proved to have the bravery of a lioness. She'd maintained her composure in the face of some of the most ruthless criminals Tonia had ever faced.
She admired the woman, and was sure Emily would be successful in her new life.
Guilt assaulted her, she'd not been as courageous. She'd bailed on Fallon at the first sign of trouble. But God, she couldn't erase that look, the red demon eyes in his face.
“Have you ever been to Portland?” Emily asked, and brought her back to the present.
“I have, I lived there for two years,” Tonia replied and began to tell her about her experiences there. Both of them dug into the subject, needing the distraction of a normal conversation.
Douglas snored then jerked awake. Tonia rolled her eyes at him. “You can sleep, I’ll stay awake.” She knew he looked forward to witness custody assignments. Once they delivered the witness to a new town, they spent a night or two in a hotel while waiting for the local Marshals to take over the case. They always took a day to help their charge become accustomed to the new city.
Her partner's eyes closed and opened again. A father of three, it was the only time he could sleep and have down time. It was also the time he ate all the junk food he could. Teresa, his wife, kept him on a strict healthy diet.
“Nah, I’m not sleepy,” Douglas replied, yawning. He eyed her, cops eyes taking in her appearance. “You look tired. What’s up? Mister New Boyfriend keeping you up?”
She ignored the pang in her chest. “None of your business.”
Douglas chuckled. “Well good, it’s about time you join the ‘lack of sleep’ club. Although, my membership is not as exciting as yours, most of the time it’s the kids or dogs keeping us up.”
Tonia scrambled to change the subject, not wanting to talk about Fallon, but Douglas went on. “I was surprised you came along for this assignment. I could have brought someone else along, you didn’t have to come. You're in a new relationship. I notice you hurry home after work every day.”
“Yeah well, I couldn’t stay away from these assignments for too long, you know me, like to pull my weight,” Tonia replied.
“Is he a good guy?” Douglas asked delving again, his eyes warm.
“Yeah, he is.” she replied, not lying. Fallon was a good person. The Protector was a good man who didn’t deserve for her to leave him when the going got tough.
Of all things for him to be possessed by, a demon. If that wasn't one of the most ironic twists of fate then she didn't know what was. There was no way she could stick around and see him turn into what she hated most.
Yet after everything that happened between them, she felt like a traitor, a coward.
“Wow, you really are afraid to fly, aren’t you?” Emily eyed her white knuckled grip on her armrest.
She relaxed her hand. “I guess so.”
As soon as they landed, she’d call Wendy and find out how Fallon fared.
That night, in the Portland hotel, Tonia opened the door to room service, as she went over details of an open case with another Marshal from Portland who'd be in charge of Emily's case. Still on her cell, she caught the guy eyeing her butt. Tonia purposely pushed her jacket back to give him a glimpse of her gun. His eyes widened. Giving him her best cop face, she motioned to the tip money by the door. He grabbed it and scrambled out.
When she hung up with the marshal, she called Atlanta. Wendy’s cell phone rang several times, Tonia prepared to leave a message when a breathless Wendy answered.
"Hello Wendy, this is Tonia. How is Fallon?"
“Hi Tonia, where are you?”
“I’m on escort duty, in Portland,” she replied. “How is Fallon?”
Wendy hesitated, not a good sign. “He’s sedated right now, pretty much in and out of it,” Wendy told her, her voice low. “I think you need to come back so that when they bring him back, he can see you. The poor guy keeps asking for you…huh?”
“What's happening with him? Hello? Wendy?” Tonia heard muffled voices.
It sounded like a man’s voice. Wendy must have put her hand over the cell because she couldn’t hear enough to make out the words. Finally Wendy came back on. “Um, well never mind what I said. Roderick said not to come back for a couple of days.”
“Why? What is going on? Bring him back from where?” Tonia asked.
“Well, I guess he’s super-sedated or something. Shit I don’t know, you tell her.” Tonia heard muffled voices again, then Roderick’s deep voice.
“While Fallon is sedated, it should be all right to stay away, the bond should hold with him being out of it. Once he awakens, then the strong need to be with each other will return,” he explained.
“Why did Wendy elude to him being brought back?” Tonia asked, feeling like he kept something from her.
“She misunderstood, I’m sure.” Roderick replied. “Good bye.”
“Hello? Tonia?” Wendy was back. “Look, I’ll call you if anything comes up. Julian and Roderick are taking care of Fallon, so he’ll be okay. They won’t let anything bad, er well worse, happen to him.”
“Is he still himself?”
“I think so, they won’t let me down there,” Wendy told her.
“I’m sorry I left so abruptly,” Tonia said. “I freaked out seeing him like that. But as soon as I can, I'm heading back. I need to see him.”
“I know it’s a strange life being in love with these guys, huh?”
She started to agree, and then realized that Wendy assumed she loved Fallon. Not sure what to say, she avoided answering. “I’ll call you tomorrow to get the latest. Take care, goodnight.”
She picked up the plate cover and poked at her food. Instead of eating, she poured wine into a glass and drank. In love?
Her mother always told her that love was a rare thing. If a person was lucky enough to fall in love once, they should treasure it. Once lost, chances were one would never find it again. Was she lucky enough to have found it twice?
Tonia closed her eyes and thought about her few days with Fallon. They’d fought demons together, made it through bonding and made amazing love. They discussed his life in England and her work as a marshal. He was funny, handsome, articulate, had great taste in most things. If she’d ever consider falling in love again, he would be the perfect choice.
Fallon told her he wanted a relationship. He promised to be faithful to her. Now that they were mates, he’d always be hers and the thought of that made her smile. She reached for a French fry and found she’d eaten all of them.
Tomorrow she’d fly back to Atlanta. Two days was too long to be away from him.
He’d been there for her when she was on the brink of death. If he fought for his life now, she’d fight alongside him.
"Oh God." She was falling in love.
Chapter 18
Gerard sat in a large SUV with darkly tinted windows. His guards, who’d come to pick him up, didn’t speak as he studied the large mansion. Waiting was not his strong suit, but tonight he was forced to be patient. One of the guards glanced back at him from the front seat.
“Is there anything you require, Sire?”
If either of the guards were scared, their demeanor did not show it. Their loyalty was reassuring, of course the idiots had no choice. “When this body ceases, be ready for me to come back from the house. I am not sure I’ll be able to flash here in my new body.”
He closed his eyes and rested his head back on the headrest and concentrated. Fallon Trent was in a lot of pain at this moment, he sensed it. His body rejected the invasion of his implant with renewed violence. He smiled, sensing the strength the Protector possessed; soon it would be his. Not only would he regain his strong Master powers, but also he’d keep Trent’s strong mind reading and telepathic abilities. As long as the Protector remained in his control, he could inhabit the body.
Once the possession was completed, he’d return to his house and clean it out. Carlo and several others would not survive to see the sunrise.
Going into a trance, he prepared to abandon his current shell and move to the next and better one. The expulsion of the current body was an excruciating process. As he inched out, each movement tore painfully at his physical body. He screamed, almost blacking out. Relishing the agony, he continued the process at a slow pace.
Everything shifted, and Fallon could not get a sense of where he was. Dark red colors swirled everywhere, the movement constant, changing directions and then moving in a circular pattern again. Fallon kept his eyes wide open, but could not see anything else. Pitch black filled his senses, the only sounds were Roderick and Julian’s voices. Was he still in the room? Was he dead? This strange limbo was disconcerting.
He still felt the bed under him. Right when he breathed a sigh of relief, his flesh began to pull away from his bones, the pain so extreme he screamed and continued to until his throat closed and he could not make any sounds. His body arched off the bed so high, he heard his back pop. Fallon grabbed blindly at the straps, trying to stop the motion, but came up empty. Strong hands held him down by the shoulders through the next convulsion.
“Be calm, keep your mind at peace,” Julian told him, his voice full of command.
Yeah right, why not. Let’s do fucking yoga while I’m being drawn and quartered.
The piercing of a needle into his arm was followed by a searing sensation. The drug scathed from his arm up to his shoulder, a path of traveling fire causing him to scream again in agony. Yet he welcomed the pain, the knowledge that he was still alive.
“Fallon, breathe, relax, let the medicine work,” Roderick spoke into his ear.
“Fuck you,” Fallon attempted to scream, but his voice came out as a hoarse whisper.
“He's not one to take direction well.” He heard Kieran tell someone.
“If—if I live, I’m going to kick your ass Kieran,” he grunted, the anger seeming to ease his pain.
The next wave of pain sent him further into the darkness, the red swirling came again and then everything left. All that remained was stark darkness, pitch black surrounded him. An obscurity like he’d never experienced.
“Put him out, Gerard is moving,” Julian yelled. “Now!”
For a second he saw the room clearly, Julian, Roderick and Cyn all stood around his bed, Cyn holding his legs, Julian his shoulders as Roderick injected another liquid medication into his IV. He glanced around the room, Tonia was not there.
“Where?” He could barely pronounce the word, his tongue heavy and thick.
“She’s not here, we didn’t want her to see you like this.” Kieran met his gaze, “Relax, we’ll ensure your mate is here when you wake.”
When the haze began to blur his vision, he didn’t fight it, but closed his eyes instead.
Evil was dark and damp. It coated his skin, even his teeth felt slimy with it. Fallon steeled himself as Gerard closed in. He wasn't sure how he recognized the master demon, but the voice confirmed his suspicions.
“You won’t last long, we’ll only share your body for a short while.” The demon's essence surrounded him. "Then I'll evict you."
Thump, thump, thump, his heartbeat echoed in his ears. The slow steady beat telling him his body was still alive.
Fallon pushed away from Gerard, something didn’t feel right. They were not in his body, not fully. Instinctively he knew to stall the demon, to keep him from fully taking over.
“I will fight you every step of the way. You picked the wrong Protector to fuck with.”
“On the contrary, we are a perfect fit.” Gerard's essence moved closer. “Maybe I should kill you right now, put you out of your misery. I’m not sure your mental powers are worth putting up with your shit.”
Fallon pushed with his mind in an attempt to locate the demon. “You can try. I doubt you’re strong enough to accomplish it.”
When the demon fully appeared, Fallon could sense a third ethereal body. They circled each other ignoring the thickening red fog that swirled around them. Gerard’s black gaze locked onto his, and Fallon looked away to avoid the pull.
Drawing from his inner strength, he pushed against the demon. Gerard stumbled back. Well maybe this strange parallel plane was not that bad. Fallon once again mentally shoved back, and Gerard staggered backward. He had powers here. Good.
The quick celebration vanished when the demon raised his hand and shot back at him.
The blast planted him on his ass, catching him off guard. Apparently Gerard’s power was stronger in this realm too. Fuck.
He pulled more energy and shielded himself before jumping back and blasting Gerard over and over until the demon fell.
Gerard flashed behind him and swung his arm wide, a powerful blast cutting through his shield, barely missing his neck, the swish of energy singeing his skin.
Fallon leapt away, just as Gerard shot again. This time, the burn on his shoulder making him flinch. Things sure felt real here.
When a second blast hit him mid section, Fallon flew into the air. Instinctively, he flung another energy blast at Gerard, before landing with a painful thump.
Fallon shook his head lifting up to find Gerard.
The demon was no longer visible. He closed his eyes centering and allowing his senses to pick up where he’d gone.
Gerard was gone. Taking advantage of his distraction, the Master demon was no longer in the temporary realm, but in the process of embedding himself into his body.
Jumping to his feet, he pushed forward, and attempted to follow, only to fail again and again, each time returning to the same place in the strange realm.
Finally he was forced to give up, he'd t
ried too many times. Now weak and unable to pull any more energy, he fell to the ground, if one could call it that, and he didn’t bother getting back up. He listened intently and was relieved.
Silence. No heartbeat.
He was dead.
***
Tonia returned to the hotel annoyed and tired. All flights out of Portland were cancelled because thunderstorms ravaged the northwest. Caught in the deluge of rain on her way back, she was soaked, angry and worried at what happened back in Atlanta. She peeled her wet clothing off and stood under a hot shower in an effort to warm her chilled body.
She’d tried to contact Wendy several times without success. Now she was troubled, something was wrong. Fallon needed her and she was stuck thousands of miles away.
A sudden sting behind her eyes caught her off guard and she covered her eyes. The floor swayed under her feet and she slammed against the tiled shower stall. The room swirled round and round, until she got nauseated. Oh God, what has happened to Fallon?
Terrified, she stumbled out of the bathroom, the whole while, holding on to the wall to keep from nose-diving to the floor. By the time she made it to the bed, her energy was completely depleted. It took all her strength to crawl to the bed.
Something was definitely wrong.
Oh God, Fallon.
Blackness threatened.
Thankful that her cell phone was within reach, she pushed in Douglas’s number. He answered on the first ring. “Come to my room, I feel bad. Can you take me to the hospital?”
Douglas arrived in less than a minute, bursting into the room, using his key. They made it a habit to always get two keys, each having the other's for cases like this. Somehow she’d managed to pull on her pajama pants and a tank top. Her partner felt her forehead and then took her pulse. “Geez Mohr, your heartbeat is slow, did you take something?”
“No,” she replied, as her eyes closed and she knew nothing more.
***
Gerard moved with assurance toward his new vessel. Victory was near. He felt assured in the knowledge that his new strength and power would help him thwart Carlo’s attempts to take his place. In this realm few could see or sense him.
Possession: Immortal Protectors, Book 3 ((Immortal Protectors)) Page 12