Personal Warriors

by Rachel A. Collett

  “Not everything.”

  “Come with me.”

  “I’m not yours anymore.” She set Charlotte gently on the ground. The baby had stopped crying. Asleep or too weak, I didn’t know. Rachel lowered into a crouch, pulling a second dagger. “You have an evil spirit about you that I do not like, Nikolaos.”

  Nikolaos blinked. His head tipped to the side. “You cannot fight me, love. Look at you. What have they done to you?”

  She pointed the tip of her dagger toward his heart. “Whatever you’ve done, I want nothing to do with you. Leave and never come back.”

  Heat flushed his pale face. He drew a knife from his dark boots. Its blade flashed. “You’ve brought this on yourself.”

  My scream went unheard as Nikolaos lunged for her. She sidestepped him, quicker than I thought possible. She was beauty in motion, deflecting his blows… but his blows kept coming, and Rachel quickly weakened.

  And she weakened because of me.

  My hands lashed out, trying to stop the inevitable, My spectral form was useless. He stabbed her through the heart as I knew he would.

  I screamed, and then I screamed again until my sobs drowned out the screams. Nikolaos caught my mother in his arms. She watched as he loving stroked her cheek. Her mouth worked, but no sound emitted from her ashen lips.

  A tear streaked down his face. “You made me do this. You know you did.”

  He kissed her, then laid her on the ground. He retrieved the baby, its eyelids only partly opened to his touch. He placed it in Rachel’s arms. Blood seeped, coating her shirt, and yet she remained conscious. Red bubbled from her lips.

  He watched her die.

  When he turned to walk away, Annie waited for him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

  “You took away my fun,” she said with a childish frown.

  “That fun was not yours to have.”

  They disappeared right before Violet returned with a vehicle to take her Rachel away.

  “Ava.” Fingers patted my cheeks, pulled my lids apart. “Ava.”

  I gasped. My eyes flew open. “Nikolaos.”

  Elisa’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “Nikolaos?”

  Darius, Fiona, and Violet peered at me, so close that I wrenched back, only I couldn’t move. Disoriented, it was a moment before I realized I was on the ground. A buzz of commotion caught my attention next. I turned my head.

  The gawking crowd of residents all stood, trying to glimpse me, their faces a mixture of intrigue and horror.

  “What’s everyone looking at?” I asked, my words slurred and harsher than I had intended. I tried to sit up and failed. Darius grasped my forearm, pulling me up into a sitting position. My head swirled.

  “You were screaming,” Elisa said. She crouched beside me. Worry pinched my best friend’s features and my heart went out to her. She tucked a rogue strand of hair from my face. Her fingers massaged my temples, easing a growing headache.

  I placed a hand on hers to stop her ministrations. “I’m okay, but we have to go. Now.”

  “What’s going on?” Laith asked.

  Violet paced semi-circles around where I lay. Her soul ached to help, to comfort me as the others did. When I caught her gaze, she stopped.

  “I had a vision—”

  “We figured that,” Elisa said.

  “Oh, now isn’t this impressive.” Roslyn glowered nearby. She glared daggers at me, her voice thick with revulsion. “A vision. Right in the middle of this council. How convenient.”

  “Shut up, Roslyn,” Cedric said, incensed. “Everyone, go back to your rooms. This council is done.”

  She laughed bitterly. “Apparently, this meeting just got started!”

  I shook my head, but I no longer cared about her. I didn’t care about her accusations or anyone else, for that matter.

  “It was Nikolaos.” I swallowed back the growing anger. “He has taken the coven.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I turned to Roslyn. “Nikolaos has your coven. He’s taken them hostage and has killed one of them.” Wide-eyed, her face paled beneath my gaze.

  “Has killed, or will kill one of them?” Laith asked, stepping in front of her.

  “It’s already happened. He’s here.” I looked at my Guardian. “He wants the Demon’s Eye. He killed my mother.”

  28

  Break-In

  Darius’s expression hardened into a mask of tempered steel, but anger seethed from within. “Well, Ava, it looks like you’ll finally have the revenge you’ve always wanted.”

  But it was so much more than that now. Whether it had been Nikolaos, Annie, or the Destroyer himself, it didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was Bailey and the other innocent women that knelt at the feet of a psychopath.

  Darius swore beneath his breath. He easily picked me up from the ground, steadying me on my feet. “This meeting is over,” he said.

  Hector opened the double doors to the library, but everyone stayed rooted to their place.

  Laith took Elisa by the hand. “Get your coms. We’ll meet at the pitch in five.”

  “But who’s at the border? What vision did Ava see?” Emily asked. She crossed the room to her son and gripped his arm.

  He placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Nikolaos and several Fallen. They are holding the witches hostage at the border.”

  “Wait. You mean you’ll go to fight them?” Zane asked. He cocked his head to the side, a curious expression on his lips.

  Darius’s smile was tight. “We don’t leave God’s children to defend themselves against a demonic attack.” He removed his mother’s hand from his arm. “Stay here. You’ll be safe.”

  “You can’t guarantee that,” she said.

  “We should take Nikolaos’s offer for ten years’ protection. Give them Ava,” someone shouted from the gathered residents.

  The room erupted. Questions flung from the crowd, but there were too many to answer, and we didn’t have time. I closed off the connection to their thoughts and their inner turmoil. I went to leave, but Zane stepped in front of me. He turned to the room. “It’s not Ava or even her demons that have weakened our borders,” he said above the noise. “It’s us. We’ve given our enemies exactly what they wanted.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “You will not give yourself over to him.”

  I met his stare, my expression blank. “That’s not what he wants.”

  Zane turned to Laith. “And if we want to fight?”

  Laith shrugged, but a smile tipped one side of his mouth. “I can’t stop you.”

  Zane nudged Roman, who nodded.

  Roslyn cleared her throat. “And if they don’t want to fight for a dying cause?”

  Hector snapped. “It’s not their job to keep the ones they’ve helped safe for the remainder of their lives. Back off, lady.”

  I took in a heavy breath. Raw energy pulsed within me. The compressed room grated on my last nerve. I growled, trying to control the growing storm within. It wanted release. I looked to the window and smiled. Elisa would be pissed if I shattered another window.

  “Ava?” Concern oozed from Darius’s soul. He felt the power surging, knew the battle I fought. I didn’t have time for this. I had people counting on me—on us.

  My fist clenched, and several empty chairs flew, crashing into bookcases with a clatter that rattled the room. Books and shelves tumbled to the floor, shocking everyone into silence.

  I smiled, glaring over the occupants who blocked my way. “Don’t you think it’s interesting that Nikolaos didn’t die, yet his essence pulled away from my mother, as if he were dead? Don’t you think God would do the same thing if I was doing something against His will?” And the moment I said it, I knew it was true. “Now all of you, step aside and let me do what I was meant to do.”

  Gerald pushed through the crowd. “Madelyn, you and Cheryl take Adeline and Yvette to our room.”

  She nodded. Other orders were given. Whether or not they were obeyed, I didn’t wait to f
ind out. I closed off all connections that would distract me from receiving additional visions of the witches. Darius took my hand and together we left for our room.

  Upon arrival, he went straight to our drawer to search for our coms. I froze, watching in awe the man I had accepted as mine, speechless and gratified at my choice. He was stunning. Anxiety swelled, and I had to look away, swallowing against a suddenly dry mouth.

  We had been in this situation before, only a few months ago. Only now it felt worse.

  “Found them,” Darius said, and he handed me my earbuds and microphone. “And don’t you dare take them out.”

  I laughed, but my smile faltered. “You do know that we’re probably going to die, right?”

  Despite the seriousness of my tone, his responding smile warmed me all over. His hands dropped to the sides of my waist; his forehead lowered to mine.

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  I closed my eyes, breathing him in. “It feels strange. Even though I know we might die, I don’t fear it.”

  He shook me once by the shoulders, and my eyes opened. He gathered me to him, tight against his body. “I won’t let you die,” he said, all smile gone. “I will protect you with my dying—”

  I flung my arms around him and kissed him to silence the words I knew he would say—the promise I knew he would make. I was okay with me dying, but a world without Darius was unimaginable.

  His large hands seized my face as he returned the kiss. There was nothing soft about the way our bodies pressed together and the way his mouth worked against mine. His desperation mirrored my feelings. It lasted only a few seconds before Darius broke away, breathing heavily. His concerned gaze captured mine. I could not look away from those eyes I loved the most.

  “When we’re out there, try and stay close to me.”

  “Always,” I said. He laughed, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

  A knock at the door brought us back to reality. Violet entered fully dressed in matching combat gear, her silver-blond hair slicked into a tiny ponytail at the back of her neck.

  Darius left to see to the rest of the security team and put Violet in charge of me. As we walked down the hallway to meet the others, her knowing black eyes narrowed at mine. “You are not going to die, little one.”

  I hid a smile. “Violet, were you listening to our conversation?”

  She pished beneath her breath. “It wasn’t much of a conversation.”

  I laughed and gathered her into my arms. When I pulled away, her eyes were lined red with emotion. “You stay close to me and Darius, too.” Because I needed her.

  You, too, I said, tapping the Demon’s Eye with an index finger. Whether they heard me or not, they didn’t react.

  “Did you hear me, Jonathan?” I asked through our connection.

  He appeared at my side. “I heard you.”

  I pointed an accusing finger. “Then don’t do anything stupid.” Because I needed him too. All of them. The Heralds, the Healers, and my demons. Ray and Cheryl. Emily. The men on the security team. Yvette and Adeline. They were my family.

  Jonathan looked thoughtful. He tipped his head to the side as if, seeing me from a different angle, he would finally be able to answer some unknown riddle.

  Finally he said, “I am yours,” before disappearing again.

  We made for the vehicles. My anxiety swelled alarmingly. As we crossed over the pitch, Roslyn stopped us. She had removed her jacket and rolled up the sleeves of the gray top beneath. Her heels were replaced by a pair of sneakers.”

  “Did you swipe someone’s running shoes?” I asked, eyeing the set that clearly belonged to a man.

  “I’m coming with you,” she said, stepping down into the pitch. She smoothed the front of her shirt.

  “Now is not the time for your games. Don’t you realize that they had a reason to allow you to come tonight? Stop playing the fool.” Violet rolled her eyes, moving away. “Coms in, Ava, dear,” she said, pinning me with an impatient look, almost daring me to argue.

  “If this has to do with my witches, I don’t trust you to do what’s best.”

  “And what is that?” I asked. I pulled my coms from my pockets, pushing them into my ears.

  “Will you give them what they want? Will you give them the Demon’s Eye?”

  I switched on the mic. “Of course not.”

  “Why not?” she asked, her voice rising. “Do you think that trinket you wear is worth the lives of my sisters?”

  She seized my hand and I stopped, but not because she was strong enough to hold me.

  My mother’s demon hissed, her warning as lethal as her glare. “Remove your hand, or I’ll rip it from your body.”

  I calmed Violet with a look and turned my gaze to Roslyn. “I understand why you think what you do, but it’s—”

  Anger ripped through her. “Stop reading my mind.”

  Fiona’s annoyed voice rang over the coms. “Is that Roslyn?”

  “Yes, well—I’m not trying to. Weaker individuals are easier to read,” I said, answering Roslyn.

  “We’re sending Hector to gather her, Ava,” Laith said over the coms. “We’re on our way.”

  I didn’t need their help with the witch, but we were running out of time to save the others. I peered down at her nails digging into the flesh of my hand. My attentions were fixed upon the pendants displayed all over her body. The four stone rings, brooch, necklace, and bracelet. Something was wrong. Contention had our residents in turmoil. Lines had been drawn in the sand, but there was something stronger emanating from Roslyn, something I had never felt before.

  Glee.

  Fiendish Glee.

  I twisted my wrist, snapping my hand down on hers. Roslyn inhaled sharply, her face turning color. She tried to yank away, but my grip was steel around her mortal flesh. I pressed out, but there was something blocking my access into her mind. A strength that hadn’t been there before now bolstered her mental defenses. Sweat beaded on her brow. She grimaced, fighting me.

  She spoke through clenched teeth. “Are you the monster I know you are, Defender? Will you steal what is not yours and prove to all watching that I was right?”

  My eyes narrowed, but I drew back my mental connection to Roslyn, linking with Hepzibah instead.

  Hepzibah, my friend, what do you sense?

  Evil.

  “What is going on?” Fiona stepped from the complex, moving quickly forward.

  “We have another problem,” I said, although what that problem was, I didn’t know. My heart raced as desire to do what I wasn’t supposed to do battled within me. “What are you hiding, Roslyn?”

  Violet closed her eyes, training in on the source. “It’s not the witch, but there is evil masking itself—an imposter.”

  I nodded. “Got it.”

  I twisted, flinging her around and pinning her wrist to her lower back. She cried out in pain.

  Murmured thoughts and whispers reacted immediately. Residents had followed Roslyn outside and witnessed the new spectacle. Darius pushed through the crowd, his eyes ablaze with some unknown emotion.

  “You’re hurting me!” Roslyn cried.

  “Shut up,” I said.

  “Ava?” Now Cedric had joined the group.

  I gestured with a nod of my chin, my eyes fixed on my Guardian. “The bracelet, the pendant, all of her jewelry. There’s something very wrong about them.”

  Darius stepped forward to help, but I shook my head. “I’m dealing with it.”

  Instead he studied the ring on one of her fingers. “Fiona said witches believe certain stones give them power.”

  “Yes, but Gayle has had these for years.” Fiona stepped from the pavers and into the center of the pitch to examine. “If they were evil, why wouldn’t I know about it until now?”

  “You’re all idiots,” Roslyn said through clenched teeth.

  Violet ignored her, leaning forward to press a finger against the smooth surface of her ring. “Very ingenious. I think it’s cursed.
”

  I leaned to whisper in Roslyn’s ear. “What are you not telling me, fraud?”

  She ripped away from me, and I let her. She nearly tripped, fumbling onto the paved steps. From the ample cleavage of her chest, she pulled a small folding knife. She flicked it open with a snap of her wrist.

  My pendant reacted to her threat. It buzzed atop my shirt, warning me. I smiled, not too kindly. “Not a smart idea to try and fight me. Put it down.”

  She re-adjusted her stance, eyeing Fiona and Cedric, who had stepped closer. She nodded toward me. “The three demons you have inside must be very special if they want them so bad.”

  I jerked back. She hadn’t been raised by a witch or by any coven. Her knowledge had come from another source, but not the right one, or she would have known more about the talisman I wore.

  I nodded, careful with my response. “Hepzibah, Selina, and Silicas are very special. Unique and powerful. They all are—which is why I can’t give Nikolaos this stone.”

  Roslyn’s eyes narrowed at me.

  “There’s not just three, Roslyn,” I clarified. “There are thousands.”

  The muscles between her brows cinched. “You lie. I saw them myself.”

  I shook my head. “You saw the ones in charge. Every demon my mother ever defeated in battle resides in this stone.”

  Anger flashed in her eyes. She pointed an accusing finger. “Nothing could be that powerful and nothing is worth the lives of my coven.”

  “I wish it were that simple, but it’s not.”

  She licked her lips, her eyes flashing to the others. “So, will you give him what he asks for?”

  “Have you heard nothing she said?” Elisa stepped from the compound with Laith, Ray, and the security team.

  I turned to Hector, who waited just outside. “Grab whoever you think best and have Roslyn escorted to the prison.”

  Roslyn gasped. “What?”

  I waved a hand. “We don’t have time for this. We’ll finish talking about things when all is over.”

  “But those are my sisters.”

  I spun. “They are not your sisters! Stop pretending to be something you’re not. You’re a fraud, and whatever that is,” I jabbed a finger toward the pendant she wore, “like Gayle, I suspect you’re in way over your head.” I turned to Hector. “Confiscate them, and lock them up somewhere safe.”