by Lila Felix
Collin chuckled. It made my whole body shake. “His lightning is red all the time because he’s the devil. What do you expect?”
The Sasquatch had a sense of humor. I had to admit, sometimes, he was funnier than I was. This was not one of those times.
“I feel selfish,” I admitted, leaning even more toward him, taking in his scent and reveling in it.
“Why?”
I breathed into the night. “Because all of this is going on and the only thing I can think about is that we won’t be able to be sealed until Colby is better—until Sanctum is, well, whatever is going to happen to him—and Theo is not in the Fray. If he is going to seal us, we have to pick a time when he isn’t being called by the voices. If we were human, we would go elope in Vegas and have it done with. Sometimes, I wish our life was easier—normal even.”
He turned, placing his hands on either side of my face. “That’s not how you want to do it. You and I both know that. You want a dress and a ceremony just like everyone else. If we are going to do this, then we need to do it right. And we are going to do it because I can’t live without you in my life any longer. And you can’t live without me. You’d get cold.”
He joked, but it was all true.
There was no way I could live without Collin for another day.
It’s too damned crowded in this place.
And by this place, I mean my brain.
And by my brain, I mean that thing in my head that used to belong to me.
Apparently, it has two extra tenants now and the bastards aren’t paying rent.
I had to focus. Malynn had joined our little seesaw ride and was now playing hide and seek with Sanctum. It was like having annoying little fire ants under my skin—next to my skull—right next to the cortex.
Malynn. Malynn, can you hear me? Do you hear him? Do you see him?
For that outburst, I was given a shock of pain from the other occupant. He sucked at the roommate thing.
Shhh… I’ve got this.
Such slang for a girl who frequently missed words.
It was like one of those surgeries, where they numbed it, but they said a little pressure would be felt. Except this was a whole hell of a lot more than pressure. There was pain and anguish. He overrode most of what I wanted to say.
And Malynn was there too. She wasn’t as unwelcome, but she was still just as weird. Her presence was a ghost, gliding in and out of my consciousness like a desert wind through my memories.
I knew she could see everything, and the guilt that came with it almost consumed me. There were the memories of Theo and me, and the way I’d broken his heart time after time—all the while knowing exactly what I was doing.
The selfishness.
The conceit.
The deceit.
And everything in between.
She saw it all.
There was a twinge of knowing as she delved into my memories since I found out Theo was the Eidolon.
All the things I didn’t want anyone to know.
Everything I’d thought was forgotten.
In a swift move, so fast I barely noticed the action, she was gone. There was a space no longer occupied by her, and I wondered if he’d gotten to her too.
I wondered if anyone would ever get me out of this.
I wasn’t sure what I was thinking, but the scene in front of me wasn’t it. Malynn had passed out right after gasping and holding her own throat like she was choking.
Omar and his son had rushed in to care for her.
Even through it all, Colby never stirred.
“Is she okay?” I asked Omar.
“She is fine. She’s waking up now.” He’d put something to Malynn’s nose—a bottle that she had at the ready near where Colby lay. She must’ve known something like that was going to happen.
Of course she did. She knew everything that was going to happen. Time after time, I’d thought about asking her what happened to us—to me—to the Lucent race, but it didn’t matter what she saw. We were in charge of our destiny, and we could change it at any moment.
Looking back, I realized I had agreed to the process of Malynn delving into Colby’s mind without asking if she’d done it before and how much risk was involved.
Though I couldn’t say I would’ve disagreed with her going forward with it even if there had been risk.
It was all worth it to save Colby.
Malynn stared into the air for almost a half an hour, silent and still. She said that she might mutter things out loud that were in Colby’s mind, but she did none of that. I was relieved. Colby and I had been through too much. From my standpoint, anything that needed to be forgiven had been long forgiven and forgotten.
Like none of it had ever happened.
“What’s happening?” I asked, not being able to stand the silence anymore.
Malynn jolted at the sound of my voice. “Eidolon,” she said, and then sat straight up. “We have to help her now. He’s taking over everything. He tried to trap me inside of her mind. He’s there, conducting it all—the pain, the hurtful words coming out of her mouth, her starvation, and her worry—all of it. He will strip her of everything physical, mental, and emotional until there is nothing left to wake up to. Even if she did come out of this, if we allow him to continue for much longer, she will be a shell of her former self.”
I knew who the he was. It was always him. Anything negative that happened in our life was because of him.
My knees slammed to the ground in rage. “How? How is he doing it? How can I stop him? Get him out of there!”
“No,” Omar protested, still holding his daughter’s hand with the worry of a father written all over his face.
I begged, out of breath. “Tell me how to stop him. How does he have this hold on her?”
Malynn shoved the heels of her hands against her eyes and cursed. “He has something of hers. He’s using it to manipulate her.”
I thought about what he could have. It could be anything. He was with us in the house of Xoana. He could’ve taken her clothes, her belongings, or anything else he wanted.
“He could have anything.”
She shook her head. “Not just anything, Eidolon. It is something from her—something of her. It’s like a piece of her skin or something else. Maybe blood? I don’t know. As soon as I saw his hold on her was that intense, he tried to kill me—not physically, but he was going to trap me in her mind. But I will tell you one thing, brewing below the pain and anger, there was desperation. I think hurting Colby is the last straw—it is the last way he knows to get what he wants. I don’t know what it is.”
The only thing I could think of when she said skin was that handmade ninja star made by the creature on Jeepers Creepers, the second one. It had a piece of belly button in the middle.
“How in the hell would he have gotten her skin? And don’t you think she would’ve noticed if Sanctum walked up and cut a piece off her? I’m pretty sure she would’ve nut punched him.”
Malynn rocked back and forth. She was obviously disturbed about the things she saw in Colby’s mind, but I wouldn’t dare ask about it all. I didn’t want to know, and I didn’t need to.
If she knew half the things that went on in my mind, I would be single in a heartbeat.
I knotted my fingers in my hair, strung out with aggravation. There was no time. Whatever Sanctum was doing to her was killing her from the inside out.
He had to be stopped.
But I knew him. He wouldn’t come of his own choice, and I didn’t want him anywhere near these people or to know where we were.
“Malynn, please stay with Colby. The rest of you, we need to gather in the main room. I have something to say.”
It took under a minute for everyone to gather. I stood before them. Probably for the first time, I really recognized the power my words and plan would have on them and our race. They needed me to lead them—at least for now.
And I was no leader without Colby.
Clearing my throat
, I prepared to make a speech I never thought I would have to make. Standing there felt artificial to me.
“My mate’s mind and body have been infiltrated by Sanctum. He has something of hers that is allowing him to control her and bring her great pain. He is starving her to death and driving her to madness at the same time.” I paused, not believing what I was about to say about the man who was once my brother—my best friend—someone I’d looked up to since I was a boy.
“Sanctum is a coward. Even if I tell him where we are, he won’t come. I am left with no choice but to play by his sanctimonious rules. Everyone in this tent who can flash needs to look for Sanctum’s hideout. He has a woman with him. She has short hair and is a few months along with the child of Sanctum.” There was a collective gasp, and I let it all die down before continuing. “She is our only leverage against my—against him. Find her. Find her now before Colby dies. Bring her to me. Because if Colby dies—I will die with her.”
I made sure to meet every single person’s eyes before leaving the room. I’d made the orders, but I was no general. They would have to form their own teams and do their own work.
That was what the final goal was—to have the Lucents rule themselves.
Before I’d left the room, Collin had become what I’d always known he could be. With a booming voice, I heard him break up the crowd into teams of three. The sounds of maps being unfolded cut through the voices.
He could handle the logistics.
When they found Pema and brought her to me, my work would begin.
It was too quiet. Everything was too damned quiet.
My library organizational skills were finally coming in handy. Setting up plans to seek out Sanctum wasn’t easy, but there were just so many places he could hide. I had Regina, Omar, and Omar’s brother start out in the first logical place—where I’d last seen the red lightning.
In case they didn’t know what he looked like, I snagged Ari’s phone and showed them a picture of him before she had added the horns and pointed tail to send to Colby. She took the phone and showed them both versions, which lifted their spirits a little.
Theo had given us the news that none of us wanted to hear. Colby was as important to the people surrounding me as he was. Because we all knew that without her, he was like the Tin Man without a heart.
Sanctum would pay for what he had done to all of us. It seemed surreal that one person could cause so much damage to a race. He’d taken powers from the people and blamed it on our leaders. They had fallen victim to his schemes and threats, losing the respect of the Lucents.
Singlehandedly, Sanctum had almost put the Lucents on the path to extinction.
He had to be close. He wasn’t smart enough to find a place we wouldn’t look.
Everyone filed out with the explicit instructions to come back at once if they saw Sanctum or thought they saw the woman. We didn’t have any pictures of her, so they would be stabbing in the dark.
They were each given three or four locations to flash to, search the area, and then report back so I could take inventory of where we were supposed to go.
But it wasn’t enough. And it sure as hell wasn’t fast enough.
“Eidolon,” I called to Theo. Understandably, he was shaken and nearly comatose at Colby’s current state. He was quiet and pensive. He stared into the abyss of the desert and never before had I ever seen him look so lost.
“Hmm?” he said, but he never moved from his stance.
“We need the others. The more people there are searching for him, the easier and faster it will be to find him.”
His black hair was longer. When he turned his head, it fell into his eyes, but this time, he did not correct it. Appearance was last on our lists of priorities.
“There are no others. This is it, Collin. What others?” Irritation laced his tone.
“There are many others, Eidolon. You and your mate have restored the gift to many. I watched you with my own eyes. I saw their gratitude. If you call on them, they will answer. I cannot flash or I would go myself. You can ask this of them. The Eidolon can ask this of his people. They will not deny you. They love Colby just as much as we do.”
He tipped his chin back and raised his face to the heavens. Words were spoken, but no sound left his mouth. My only knowledge of it was his lips moving.
“He gave me a choice, Collin.”
I held my ground. “What choice? Who?”
He remained silent for a few more moments. Soon, his attitude was chased away by a fake smile and a new upbeat attitude. “Nothing. Forget I said anything. Do you think they will come? Yes. Yes, they must come. They will come. All I have to do is ask them. Will you come with me, Collin?”
I looked around. What I was doing was purely logistical. Even a buffoon could do it. And from what I’d seen in the faces of those Lucents who had been restored by the Eidolon, they wouldn’t hesitate in helping him.
Some of them might offer to kill Sanctum themselves.
I nodded. “I will go with you, Theodore. You know that.”
He held up one finger to me, and I waited as he checked in on his mate. There was no need for me to ask how she was after seeing his face come back with the same hollow look.
His voice cracked as he spoke, “Let’s go. The faster we find him…”
I finished his sentiment. “The faster he goes down. I’m willing to bet anything that Pema is the only piece we’ll need to take him out.”
Theo looked at me, really looked at me, then nodded and grabbed my arm. “Collin,” he said. “I am betting everything on that. I am betting everything on the fact that my brother was stupid enough to make that investment—and that he will come to claim it.”
We flashed straight to Nebraska, the first place Colby realized how many people she could touch through her connection to the Eidolon. Sway and her new mate now oversaw the place, making sure that Sanctum didn’t come in and try to wipe them all out.
“Sway?” Theo saw her first. Sway ran as hard as she could to Theo, hugging him with all her might but immediately noticing the difference.
“Where is Colby?” she asked. Her voice broke with the question.
Theo tried to smile at her, but even his mouth was saddened. “Sanctum is inside her. Somehow, he has infiltrated her mind. He’s giving her all kinds of pain and controlling her thoughts. That’s why we need you. We need all of you.” He projected his voice out to reach the gathered crowd.
The woman, I couldn’t remember her name, who had first questioned Colby’s power, stepped forward. “Where is she? Where is your mate?”
Theo explained in detail the events leading up to his arrival. As he progressed in the story, he withered in spirit. The people gasped and gritted their teeth in the appropriate places and more than one hand reached up to wipe tears away.
By the end, he was done—physically and from what I could see, mentally. We had to do this for him. We needed to be his strength when he could barely hold himself up.
The woman turned to the crowd. “We will all help—all who are able. Some need to stay to protect the children. All able Lucent women come forward. Our leader needs our help. Colby needs us. She is our sister and the one who came when we thought all was lost. We won’t let you down, Eidolon, either one of you.”
There must’ve been hundreds, maybe on the cusp of a thousand, women who did not hesitate in coming forward in mere minutes. They all pledged their undying allegiance not to Theo or to Colby—but to bringing down Sanctum.
And if Sanctum thought he was in trouble before—he was really in hot water now. There was a gang of Lucent women on his tail.
Pissed-off Lucent women.
Women whom he had stolen their very essence from.
And it was well known what they said about hell having no fury…
Days had passed. It seemed like every clue led to nothing—and nothingness led to the next empty clue. And every day, my hope dimmed.
“It’s like that game,” Ari said, scouring the map
for a new place to go. “You know, where you hit that rat that pops up? Eventually, there’s a pattern. He won’t break from his pattern because right now, it’s working. All we have to do is find it.”
No one, including Collin, was working as hard or as diligently as Ari. When she wasn’t glued to the map or flashing around the world, she was at Colby’s side, talking to her—reminding her of who waited for her on the other side of the pain—on the other side of madness. She told Colby stories, trying to make her good memories come forward.
I bet that Sanctum was doing his best to refute every one.
“Yeah, but how in the hell do you find the pattern of the devil?”
She all but ripped the large, red marker from Collin’s hand and went to work. “He’s been in Russia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Greenland, and The Dominican Republic. He’s sticking to little countries, which is stupid. They would be safer and less obvious in the more populated countries. Even when he was in Russia, we found that little cave in the side of the mountain. That’s where Collin saw the red lightning coming from. I think we are going about this all wrong. We are hunting him when all we have to do is watch, listen, and trap. His lightning is bright, red, and vibrant. He can’t hide it. We need Lucents in all corners of the world. But you need to tell them to stop looking. They need to look to the sky and wait for him to light it up.”
Collin chuckled. Ari shot him the dirtiest look since Clint Eastwood.
“That’s it? You didn’t need to take my marker for that. Your answer is to wait for him? Give me my marker back, female.”
He was lucky she put the top back on the marker before she chucked it at his face.
“Yes, we wait. Bad guys always return to the scene of the crime. He’s not creative. He’s not using all of his options. Eliza found evidence that he returned to that shack in New Zealand, the one where Theo was hiding for a while.” She gasped and did a dance, coupled with some kind of muppet flaily arms. “Wait a damned minute.”
She turned and waited for Omar to finish his conversation with a tapping foot and impatient arms crossed over her chest. “Omar, I know that we are protected here, but can Theo project his weird shadow person out of here? If he did, will Sanctum be able to sense it?”