The Lost Savior

by Siobhan Davis

  “Well, we’d better figure out what’s going on before he tries something else on Alinthia.”

  “What’s our play now?” Maddox asks.

  Dane thinks about it for a bit. “Firstly, one of us needs to be in the room with her at night. All night. She isn’t to sleep alone.”

  It’s not much different from how it is now, but I hold my tongue. Dane’s been in a pissy mood these last few weeks, and he’s prickly when anyone dares to challenge his authority.

  Coop leans back in his chair, folding his arms like the cat that’s got the cream. Maddox pins him with a look that would cause lesser men to shrivel up and die, but Coop squares off with him, leveling him with a look that challenges him, daring him to go there.

  Dane clears this throat, breaking up the silent face-off. “Alinthia will make that call, and we’ll meet her needs without argument.” His eyes pivot, meeting mine. “Can you set up a monitoring device, something she can wear that will trigger a warning if she moves out of her room during the night? That way, we’re all alerted if something is up and one of us has somehow been rendered immobile, like Coop was tonight.”

  We lean forward, nodding our heads in shared agreement.

  “We need to tell her, Dane. It’s not right keeping it from her anymore. Something isn’t right. We’ve all felt it, and the blank spots in our abilities are extending. We’re placing her in greater danger by concealing the truth. She needs to be aware of all the facts,” Coop says.

  “I’m not sure she’s ready to deal with it yet. She still hasn’t fully embraced who she is.”

  “Give her a break, Dane,” Maddox cuts in. “She’s had a lot to deal with and she’s far stronger than you give her credit for.”

  “She agreed to move in tonight,” Coop throws out.

  My brows climb to my hairline, and surprise skitters across Maddox’s face. Dane is hiding his feelings. As usual.

  “How’d you manage that?” Maddox splutters.

  “I have my ways.” He smirks, and a wave of jealousy rolls through me. A sudden, uncharacteristic urge to punch him in his smug face washes over me. Apparently, he believes he has some kind of advantage over us because she’s closer to him, or maybe it’s because he’s the most experienced with females, but he’s naïve if he thinks she isn’t drawn to us too. As the bond strengthens, it’s hard to ignore the flurry of emotions passing between us, and I’m sure the others have felt her longing in the way I have.

  Unlike them, I’m sure, I have zero clue what to do about it.

  I want her, but I’m terrified of facing something I have little knowledge of, so I’ve purposely held back, but now that Dane and Coop have both gone there, and with Zorc’s caution that we all need to embrace this, it’s time to man up and confront my feelings.

  “That’s good,” Dane says. “I’ll rest easier knowing she’s under our roof.” We all nod, all of us breathing a little easier at the thought.

  “So, we’re telling her?” Maddox poses the question.

  Dane slowly nods. “Yeah. Let’s do it. We’ll give her a couple days to settle in, and then we’ll tell her together.”

  “You up for this?” Dane asks me.

  A lot of this will fall on my shoulders, but I’ve been preparing for this moment since I understood the part I played in the prophecy. “I’m ready.”

  “Okay.” He slaps me on the back. “Now go check on our girl,” he says, his bounce jumping between Coop and me. “And don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Chapter 40

  Alinthia/Tori

  I wake up screaming, kicking my legs about as I try to entangle them from the sheets, and gasping for air. Warm hands cup my face, and Cooper’s worried gaze hovers over me. “It’s okay, beautiful. You’re safe. We’ve got you.”

  Air whooshes out of my mouth in grateful relief, and I focus on breathing, in and out, and bringing my heart rate back down to a normal level. I sit up and Beck appears with a glass of water. He sits on the side of my bed, holding the glass to my dry lips. I take tiny sips of the water, swallowing harshly as the cool liquid slips down my scratchy throat.

  “What happened to Jack?”

  “Unfortunately, he’s still in one piece,” Cooper grumbles, his eyes blazing with rage.

  “Good.” I flop back on my pillow. “I contemplated ending that thing, almost forgetting my friend’s trapped in there.”

  “That was some display of power you have zero control over,” Dane says, popping into the room.

  My heart gives another jolt. “Can you not do that? I almost had a coronary.”

  He shrugs, and the usual frustration prickles to the surface. Maddox knocks on the door before entering with a tray. “See? That’s how to make an entrance without giving me heart failure.”

  Maddox smiles as he approaches, and I return it. Cooper props the pillows at my back, fluffing them up and helping me to sit up straighter. Maddox places the tray on my lap, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay, princess. You gave us all a fright.”

  “That scary shadowy thing gave me a fright,” I admit, shuddering. “What was it?”

  Coop loads my spoon with soup, shoveling it into my mouth as the others explain. The spoon drops in the soup when they land the bombshell on me. “He cursed me?!” I feel like puking. “How? And what does it mean?”

  “We don’t know yet, but we’ll find out,” Dane says. “For now, try not to worry.”

  I harrumph. “With that thing downstairs? Not likely.”

  “We won’t let him hurt you again. One of us will sleep in here with you at night and Beck is going to work up a monitoring device so everyone can keep tabs on you. That way, if the same thing happens again, we’ll all be on guard,” he confirms.

  I shake my head. “I’m not staying here. No way. Not when that freak’s downstairs.”

  “But you agreed …” Coop pins me with those puppy dog eyes of his and I melt on the spot, but not enough to forgo my paranoia and panic.

  I thread my fingers in his. “That was before. I won’t be able to relax staying here, not knowing he’s downstairs and could come for me at any second.”

  “We don’t know how he did it, princess, and, while I don’t want to worry you any more than you already are, we don’t know that he can’t get to you in your parent’s house either. We’d all feel more relaxed if you stayed here.” Maddox’s eyes beg me to reconsider.

  “No. I want to go home. You can stay with me there and Beck can wire the device to monitor me from there, can’t you?” I ask him with pleading eyes.

  “I can do that.”

  I climb out of bed and throw my arms around him. “Thank you.” His answering smile is shy. “Okay, now that’s decided I need to take a shower and get ready for school, so you can leave.”

  Dane looks decidedly unhappy, but I couldn’t give two fucks. Right now, I want to get my ass out of this house, pronto.

  The day drags by, and I’m exhausted and fighting sleep the whole time, so when the final bell hollers, signaling the end of the school day, I silently rejoice. My bed is calling me, and nothing is keeping me from it.

  Maddox is watching over me while I sleep, and I’m surprised when he shakes me awake, sometime after two a.m. I sit up, rubbing sleep from my eyes. “What’s up?”

  “There’s been a breach back at the house, and I need to go help the others.”

  I whip the covers off. “I’m coming with you.”

  “The hell you are.”

  “I thought you said it was best to stay together?”

  “It usually is, but on this occasion, we don’t want you anywhere near the house until we’ve determined the threat. But I want you to stay awake until I return and to keep your eyes peeled. If anything is off, you call me.” He presses my cell into my hand. “Can you do that?”

  It’s embarrassing that I have to resort to human technology to communicate with them, that I can’t call out to them through my mind or teleport to their side. I want to be
their equal, in all the ways that count, and my significant lack of progress is frustrating the hell out of me.

  “Princess?” Maddox quirks a brow in expectation.

  I chew on my thumb, debating prolonging the argument, but thoughts of that thing in the basement, and that horrible, creepy shadowy form sends shivers ricocheting all over me, and I’m not in any hurry to return to the house any time soon.

  “Okay.” Yawning, I throw my arms around his neck. “Stay safe.”

  He presses a tender kiss to my forehead. “Will do. You too.”

  It’s freezing in the house, and when I look out the window I understand why. A heavy coat of snow blankets the ground outside, and a blizzard is in full force. I must’ve been asleep for hours, I guess. I vaguely remember a weather warning earlier in the week, but I’ve been so consumed in training and all things alien that I’d forgotten all about it. Howling winds thrust the snow in all directions, and I shiver, glad to be inside even if it feels like the Arctic in here.

  I pull on a pair of sweats, a long-sleeved Under Armour bodywarmer, and a thick sweater. Stuffing my feet into my Ugg boots, I pad downstairs, grateful to see some embers still smoldering in the fireplace. I add some more logs, stoking the fire, and pull my dad’s chair over, plopping down with a coverlet over my lap. In no time, I’m toasty warm and red-cheeked.

  An ominous sense of foreboding sweeps over me as I watch the clock move forward. Every five-minute rotation has me growing more and more agitated. I want to call the guys, but if they’re in the middle of something, I don’t want to distract them either. I can’t risk any of them getting hurt. After twenty-five minutes, I’ve just decided to call them when a massive bang sounds from outside.

  I climb to my feet and look out the window. The door to the barn is swinging open and shut in the strong wind, emitting a booming noise every time it slams against the steel structure. I know for a fact that Dad locks and bolts that door every night, so there’s no way it could’ve magically opened by itself.

  Bile swims up my throat, and my chest tightens as pressure settles on it. When the light switches on inside the barn, my blood pressure rockets sky high. Footsteps on the stairs have me swirling around. Dad appears at the base of the stairs, in boots, pants, and a hastily buttoned up shirt. He yawns, flinching a little when he sees me. “Tori, you frightened me. What are you doing up?” He glances at the roaring fire.

  “Maddox had to go back to deal with an incident at the house, and he wanted me awake and alert in case something happened.” Another loud bang rips through the howling wind outside, and I attempt to smother my fear as I walk to the coat stand and grab my coat.

  Dad stalks to the tall cabinet in the corner of the room, pulling out his rifle.

  “Dad.”

  He turns to me, keeping his eye on the rifle as he loads it with bullets. “Don’t attempt to argue with me, sweet pea. You’re not going out there.” He snaps the rifle into place. “I am.”

  I know whatever is out there is waiting for me.

  And they most likely have the ability to squash him like a bug.

  There is no way in hell my dad is going out there.

  “Forgive me,” I whisper before clasping his cheeks firmly and staring directly into his eyes. “You will go back to bed and stay there until I return.” My words are loaded with intent, backed up by the love inflating my heart for this man. I repeat the words another couple of times, and he absently kisses me on the cheek before placing the gun on the table and going back up the stairs, as if he’s floating in a daze.

  I call Maddox but the call drops, so I shoot him a text, but it won’t send. Damn it. The weather is clearly messing with the signal. I’m mulling over my options when an eerie voice drifts through my mind.

  Al … in … th … ia.

  What the hell is it with aliens and their lack of verbal communication skills?

  And why is it that I can’t hear my guys in my head, but every other alien freak seems to have little issue penetrating my mind?

  Al … in … th … ia. Come out or we’re coming in.

  I don’t even stop to think about it. I can’t risk anything happening to my parents, so I race out the door, flitting to the new barn in a nanosecond. My heart is pounding in my chest as I sneak a peek through the side window. Snowflakes descend like the heavens have opened, liberally dumping snow on top of the ground below, embedding in my hair and adhering to my coat. My heart stutters in my chest as I peruse the two males waiting for me.

  They are both dressed in black leather pants and molded black leather tops that fit to their chiseled torsos. Long, flowing black leather coats lift and sway in the breeze wafting through the open barn door. They share identical features: silver-blond hair tied back in a neat ponytail, sharp cheekbones and strong jawlines, and unfeeling ice-blue eyes with a coating of luminous white across the full eye that brands them as not from this world. They are tall, like freakishly giant-sized tall, and stacked with muscles upon muscles upon muscles. They stand there with their legs parted, their shoulders back, and their chins up, exuding arrogance and superiority like they know they’re totally bad ass.

  A serene calmness spreads over me as I walk toward the front of the barn. Images and voices are welcome background noise, whispering knowledge buried deep inside. Adrenaline courses through my veins, and a low burning flame starts licking my insides, lying dormant, waiting to be called upon. My confidence soars with a truth that hasn’t been spoken but one which I know to be genuine.

  I may not have had much physical training, and I might suck at the whole channeling my mind thingy, but, in the heat of the moment, when the chips are down, I know what to do. Like my first encounter with an alien, I know I can deal with the threat. Don’t ask me to explain it, because I can’t, but as I step toward the barn, I’m not afraid.

  I crack my knuckles, and my lips curve into a smile as I make my presence known.

  Stepping into the barn, I can’t help grinning expansively. “Waiting for me, freaks?”

  Chapter 41

  “You know, I’m kinda disappointed,” I say, striding into the barn toward them. “I was expecting some hardcore kick-ass ninja bounty hunters, not some washed-up nineties Matrix wannabes.” I scoff as my eyes rake over them. “That look is so not cool.”

  They don’t move their feet. They just stand there, moving their heads from side to side in sync, like puppets on a string, eyeing me with blank expressions.

  “Not much for conversation, are we?” I stop walking, standing about twenty feet away from them.

  “You’re so … small.”

  “You’re so … human.”

  They speak in my mind, all the while their heads continue to rotate from side to side, and I’m dizzy just looking at them.

  “Perhaps you have the wrong gal,” I suggest.

  The freak on the left breaks form, taking a step toward me. His eyes flash silver-white as he surveys me under hooded lashes. “Oh, we’ve got the right gal to be sure. Your aura speaks for itself.”

  “You glow like the light of a million stars.” Freak number two steps up alongside his buddy. “It’s incredible.”

  “Amazing,” the other one agrees.

  “If you’re done with the compliments, can we get this over with?”

  They peer at me, like I’m some kind of freak. The one on the left raises his right palm. “Come with us willingly and we’ll spare those you love.”

  “Fight us, and we’ll slaughter the whole town,” the other one says.

  I convulse with laughter, snorting and holding my stomach. “What is with you alien freaks and your cliché comments? You really need to get some new lines along with some new clothes and a haircut. Maybe some color contacts. Just saying. That look does nothing for you.”

  One part of me is still waiting to be creeped out, but, nope, not feeling creeped out. I’m still unbelievably unstressed. Just like I was the day on the road when the original freak attacked. Except for the fact I had Coo
per prompting me in my head. Now, it’s complete radio silence, and I’m concerned for the guys.

  “So be it.”

  That’s the only warning I get. Both freaks raise their arms, and I’m lifted off my feet and flung back, my body soaring elegantly through the air like I was naturally made for flying.

  Still not freaking out.

  Which is epically weird.

  Lucky for me, I land on a bunch of hay bales. My back has barely touched the dry, straw-like material when I bounce upright, dropping into the gap between bales and charging the guys, fueled by super-powered legs. They don’t have time to track the movement before I strike. Lifting my leg, I perform a clean sweep, like Maddox has shown me, taking them both down in one quick, unexpected move.

  Before I have any time to gloat, a hand juts out, grabbing my ankle, and I fall back, arms flapping about as I slam to the ground. Slivers of pain shoot up my spine, and black spots distort my vision.

  “That wasn’t very nice,” one of them says, hauling me to my feet like I weigh no more than a feather.

  “Neither is this,” I retort, slamming my elbow back into his gut, but it’s like elbowing a slab of concrete, and I wince as pain radiates through my arm. Swallowing the distaste in my mouth, I reach around with my other arm and grab a hold of his crotch, squeezing tight, grateful they share a similar anatomy. He roars, dropping me immediately, and I flee to the far side of the barn to regroup.

  An invisible hand wraps around my throat, and I claw at my neck, struggling to breathe. The other guy stalks toward me, nostrils flaring and his coat flapping in the strong breeze. I try to run, but I can’t focus my mind to invoke superspeed, not when it’s taking all my effort to suck air into my lungs. I scramble away from the approaching assailant, almost tripping over my feet as I go.

  His amused laughter rings out as he follows me, plucking me up easily and tossing me over his shoulder.

  Oh, hell to the no. He’s not carting me off anywhere. Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply, drawing on instinct I know is residing inside me. The tips of my fingers heat up, and I twist my body around, straining forward until I’m in reach of his hand. My fingers touch his bare skin, and his eyes pop wide as heat rushes from me to him. He throws me off like a hot potato, yelling out loud in a foreign language.