by Elissa Daye
Their souls are trapped here. Serena shook her head sadly.
Is there anything we can do to help them? Lyssa hated to see these souls trapped here in such a fashion. No one deserved to spend their afterlife in this pain.
Before anyone could answer, there was a loud movement below them in the streets. She ran to the window and looked out. The shadows were swarming below, almost as if they sensed the Guardians’ life energies within their walls, but these were not like the shadows they usually saw. They were moving like an infantry, and their shapes no longer hovered over the ground. Their shapes were clearly formed, and when they moved, each step could be heard. These shadows had gained almost enough energy to take on physical form.
Every inch of her knew why these souls were tethered in agony in the Land of the Shadows. The shadows were draining the rest of the light from them and forming their own corporeal shapes. The way they existed in our world had never been physical. Their powers over people were more of mental persuasion from afar. The shadows above could not physically alter or change a person at all. These shadows were certainly more of a threat, and would probably have greater power over a person’s thoughts as they fed off their unsuspecting victims. It was clear that a new regiment of shadows was a deadly threat to the Guardians’ world. She prayed that these shadows never left the Land of the Shadows to walk upon their earth.
Lyssa turned to the souls trapped within the room and took a chance. “Where did you come from?” she asked one aloud. At first, the woman in front of her was still transfixed in a place where she could not reach her. Pulling out her wand, Lyssa sent all her warmest energy into the black chains surrounding her. They started to shake and rattle around the woman enough to get her attention. Lyssa looked at her and asked her again. “Where did you come from?”
“Chicago. The windy city.”
Good. She was lucidly answering her. “What happened to you?”
“I couldn’t eat or sleep. All I wanted to do was die. It was easier that way—at least that was what the voices told me.”
This spirit must have killed herself in some shape or form. “Why did your spirit not move on?”
“The shadows took me before I could rise up. They brought me down. I’ve been here ever since.”
There was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. “Lyssa, we have to go now!” Julius shouted at her.
Lyssa wanted to free the souls before her, but Julius was right, she had to leave now. If she was the one who could find the shadows in their sector, then she had to make sure she got out. Without lingering further, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and imagined the Watch Tower in her mind. It took her a little longer to get there than she wanted, but she knew the Watch Tower was cleansing her aura before it would allow her to enter. This cleansing was a safety net so that if anything chose to follow her, her psychic scent or energy would be lost to them.
Lyssa stood in the library and held her breath. She only hoped the other three made it out unharmed as well. Within a few minutes, the rest of them appeared before her.
“You guys okay?”
“What were you doing, Lyssa?” Julius started in on her right away.
“We need answers, Julius. We could have waited there forever in silence, but it would not have helped us figure out what we really came there to find out.” Lyssa crossed her arms and returned his scowl.
“She’s right, Julius. We found out something important today. Those things are trapping their victims from our world and feeding off their souls. We can’t allow this to continue.” Jackson came readily to her defense.
“What happens if they get enough tortured souls to rise up from the ground with the physical forms we just saw? Will they be able to do more to us than control the thoughts of others? Will they be able to harm others physically? We have to stop as many of them as we can. The Watch Tower cannot allow the shadows to feed off the innocent anymore.” Lyssa could foresee many different scenarios if this came to pass, all of them ending in desolation that they could only prevent if they took action now.
At first, Julius did not answer her. His look of irritation slowly left his face and was replaced with a pensive frown. “We have to start with the Craven. They are providing too many portals for these shadows. It’s imperative that we cut off their access. Once we do this, they will have fewer ways to feed on our people.”
Lyssa did not add that they would eventually need to go back to free the souls of the ones they had lost. They all knew they had to do something, but the Guardians had to start with what they could accomplish first. By the stone cold look on his face, she knew Julius was done discussing it. Her words would make no impact. Change would happen. She would see to it, even if the Guardians did not. It would not happen as swiftly as she would like it to, but it would happen. She hoped Julius would inform the other sectors about this new information as well, and if he didn’t, she would find a way to tell them herself.
Chapter 14
After their talk in the library, she went home for the night. There were so many thoughts swarming around in her mind, like brittle locusts that crawled intermittently. What she really needed was time to think. Lyssa knew their goal was to keep the shadows away from their world, but she could not help feeling that they should also be focusing on providing assistance to the souls that were trapped in the Land of the Shadows. She had almost been a casualty of the power of the shadows. If her spirit guide had not come forth to speak with her, would she still be standing here right now? Or would she have been tethered to the ground with no hope for escaping the darkness that filled all her days with a helpless void? Would Lyssa have survived the sad delusions that eroded her soul? She would like to think so, but Lyssa was a different person now then she had been even a month ago. Lyssa no longer dwelled on the past that had cut her so deeply…her anger no longer sliced into her every waking moment. With her new higher purpose, she felt that those souls trapped with the darkness below them deserved the right to ascend to their higher purpose. How could those people ever be reborn if they were trapped there? Lyssa would definitely be pushing this issue as soon as they had struck down the Craven.
The Craven. Even the sound of the word made her shrivel a little inside. They were insidious, evil incarnate. How does one attack another human with no remorse whatsoever? The thought did not settle well with her. It never really had. Does one destroy another’s life to preserve hundreds of others? Lyssa had never killed another human being and hoped that day would never come to pass. If she had to hurt another to protect herself, could she do it? Maybe. Would it be possible to destroy their powers without destroying them? There were those who studied magic who believed that a person’s powers could be bound with little harm to the individual. To do this, they would need more information about the people they were up against. The only way for this to work was for Hunter and Logan to infiltrate them.
She hated the danger that surrounded Hunter every time he left the Watch Tower to continue his pretense. He could be caught at any moment; if he were, would he be able to escape? She hated where her thoughts were turning. The idea of Hunter in danger made her feel violently ill. There was only one other person who ranked high in her life, but she was emotionally attached to him in a different way. Jackson. If anything happened to either of the men in her life, Lyssa knew without a doubt that she could do bodily harm to the person who committed the damage.
Sometimes she wished that she could be helping with the infiltration that she could blend in as easily with their foe. Lyssa would give anything to be by his side, protecting him, but it was not meant to be. Lyssa would only be a distraction, and Hunter had made it clear that he could defend himself. The Watch Tower needed her here. Not every sector of the Watch Tower had Guardians with the ability to scan energy to locate whatever foe they were fighting against. This made her role at the Watch Tower incredibly important. In their eyes, Hunter and Logan were
expendable. Lyssa was not. She knew the Craven must have the ability to detect different energies too, for when she had used her animal spirit to project to where they were, they had easily detected her energy gleaming off the raven, for she had not learned how to utilize stealth. Within minutes, they had followed the trail of energy and pinpointed her location. They had not been pleased that she had been able to locate them. At least she had learned from that experience. Now when she went out, she was sure to cloak her energy to cover any imprint she left. Lyssa did not want to be an easy target. She had also made sure to never travel alone when hunting shadows. Not that she hadn’t thought about it, especially now. Seeing those poor misfortunate souls ate at her conscience. She wouldn’t rest until Julius informed the Watch Tower of the situation.
Lyssa was so caught up in her thoughts that she had not heard the knock on the door. She turned around when the door swung open. Hunter was standing there with the most severe look that she had ever seen. “Why didn’t you answer?”
“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought. I didn’t hear you.” Clearly, Hunter was worried about her. “Don’t worry. I’m here. In one piece.”
“Jackson let me in. You never returned to the cemetery.”
“We went back to the library.”
“I figured that out eventually. Julius told me about what you did. You have to be more careful, Lyssa.”
“For someone throwing himself into the fray, Hunter, do you really have the right to tell me what to do?” Lyssa should be irritated that he was trying to boss her around, but he truly was doing it out of regard for her safety. It was sweet…slightly grating but mostly sweet.
“I do what I have to, Lyssa. You know that.” His hands gestured helplessly in front of him.
She smiled up at him. “Relax. I know better than you think. I’m okay. If I had not spoken up, then how would we know that the shadows were growing in number and in strength by using these poor souls? I wish people would start to see how valuable I am. I am capable of more than just being a human satellite, Hunter.”
Hunter crossed the room and reached out to touch her arm. “I do believe in you, Lyssa. I just want you to be careful.”
“Ditto.” She smiled up at him and let all the frustration leave her body. Lyssa did not like to hold onto any negative energy when Hunter was around. It was a bitter diatribe compared to the healing, peaceful energy that made Hunter who he was.
“That’s better. There’s the smile that I love.”
Lyssa shook her head and swatted his arm away with her hand. If he wanted to start acting all googly-eyed on her, then she would not know what to do with herself. Yes, she cared very deeply about Hunter. This could easily be classified as love, but she still did not find the teasing banter between a woman and man to be an easy thing to stomach. How did one learn to tease and flirt? Lyssa had never really had the time to learn. With their future so deeply knitted in finding the shadows, she could not guarantee they would get much time together, but she would take whatever she could get.
“Look at me, Lyssa.”
Lyssa’s eyes met his, and she tried not to run from the feelings clearly broadcast there. Love, passion, fear, all strong emotions each vying for control. Lyssa wanted to flee from them. They made her feel too much, made her want to act on things that Hunter had kept on the back burner. “Don’t look at me like that, Hunter.”
“Like what?” He stepped closer to her, and she wanted to retreat from his nearness.
“Like you’re one step from doing something you’ll regret.”
His mouth descended on hers with a desperation that Lyssa understood. She felt the same way every time he left her sight, with thoughts that this could be the last moment she ever saw him crossing her mind. His hands wrapped around her back and pulled her so close; she was unsure where he ended, and she began. Her heart raced in her chest, and Lyssa was almost positive; she would lose consciousness if she didn’t come up for air soon. When she broke away from his kiss, they were both panting heavily.
“Lyssa….”
“No more talking, Hunter.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. When she had him distracted enough, she inched back a step at a time, and all the time, he followed after. As her legs ran into the bed, Hunter seemed to pick up the cue.
He slid his hands under her shirt and pushed it over her head. She repeated the process with his shirt. Hunter played with the snaps of her jeans while he ran kisses down her neck. When he slid her jeans from her body, his mouth trailed kisses down her stomach, and she fought the urge to flinch as her core became alive under his touch. She ached for his touch, wanted it more than she could even communicate. Lyssa went to help him with his but discovered that somewhere in the middle of all this, he had already finished the process.
When Hunter pulled her close, she felt delirious. The touch of his skin against hers was intoxicating. Hunter lowered her onto the bed and ran a hand along the inside of her leg. She trembled at his touch. As he slid his body over her, Lyssa reached out for any tangible piece of him. His mouth latched onto hers, and she did her best not to devour the tongue he slid into her mouth. His hand slid beneath her and brought her closer to his body. Lyssa moaned against him and ran her nails along his spine. She wanted something more than what she’d ever had. Lyssa needed to lose herself, and he was the first person she felt safe enough to do that with. His rules be damned. She wrapped her legs around him and tried to pull him down to her.
“Lyssa, if you continue that, I won’t be able to stop.”
“Who said anything about stopping?”
Hunter pushed away from her and stood up. He turned away from her and ran his fingers in his hair. “This isn’t the way I wanted this to go, Lyssa.”
With his back turned to her, Lyssa did something she wouldn’t normally do. She slid her underwear down her legs and tossed it at his back. Lyssa stood up and undid the clasp of her bra. She raised her arm and held it over his shoulders. When he still did not turn to her, she walked over to him and ran her breasts against his back. She felt a small victory when she heard his breath catch in his throat. “Sometimes, our minds get in the way of our hearts. Right now, all I want is you.”
“You’re not playing fair, Lyssa.”
“And you’re talking too much.” She reached around to his erection and squeezed him.
His growl was the only answer she needed. Her nipples were now so hard; she thought they might explode. The more she ran them against his skin, the more she wanted him to give in to her.
Hunter turned around and scooped her up in his arms. “You asked for it.”
He tossed her on the bed, then went back to retrieve something from his pants. She heard the sound of a small rip and knew that he had finally chosen to follow through. When he returned to the bed, Lyssa felt her heart skip a beat. The excitement that was building inside her was almost too much to bear. Hunter climbed into bed on top of her, and his mouth found hers again. This time, his kisses were neither gentle nor sweet. His desire was like a secret language; only her own body could translate. They could have taken hours to explore each other, but tonight was not about that. Hot, dangerous, and wild.
When she ran her nails down his back, Hunter wrenched her legs open with his hands. She felt him sitting at the entrance, trying to fight back the desire that was ripping through him, but Lyssa encouraged it by wrapping her legs around him. She pulled him closer by locking her feet over his backside.
His words came out in a heated whisper. “You’re playing with fire.”
“I’m not afraid of getting burned, Hunter.”
He needed no more encouragement. As he slid into her, Lyssa arched her back from the bed and reached for his mouth with her hands. Hunter slid his tongue into her mouth, and their bodies united in ways she had only dreamt about. The more he moved, the harder she pulled him into her. The bed creaked and slammed agai
nst the wall with each move of their hips, but Lyssa didn’t care. She had dreamt of this moment of wild release.
Soon, up was down, and the world spun out of control around her. Lyssa felt her insides start to quiver in anticipation of her release. When it came, she cried out his name. Her words seemed to send him over the edge, and he rammed into her a few times before finding his own finish.
Hunter rolled off her and cradled her in his arms. They both lay there trying to catch their breaths. Lyssa felt tingly all the way down to her toes.
“Damn it.” Hunter sat up in bed so fast he almost fell off the edge.
“Hunter?”
“I have to go.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you further than you wanted.” She was having trouble finding the words that would make this moment less awkward.
“What?”
“You just said you have to go. Did I chase you away?”
Hunter moved closer to the bed and leaned over. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her softly. “I would love nothing more than to stay and get lost in every curve of your body, my dear, but I was supposed to check in with the Craven tonight. I’m late.”
Lyssa sighed a breath of relief. “Oh. Okay. I’ll see you…?”
“Tomorrow. I promise.” Hunter retrieved his clothes and started to put himself back together. When he was fully dressed, he turned around again. “Lyssa?”
“Yes, Hunter?”
“I love you.” He smiled at her and stared at her long enough to make her naked body blush from head to toe. She closed her eyes for just a moment, fighting the shyness that started to enter her mind. When she opened them again, Hunter was gone.