by J L Lawrence
His lips were soft, exploring. When he dipped his tongue into her mouth, she came unglued and kissed back with all her repressed energy. They moved closer than she thought was possible. The kiss became wild and out of control. His hand slid beneath her shirt, caressing her stomach and moving to her back. Their desperation for a physical connection rose. And for the first time in her life, she didn’t care who could see them. Her only thought—calculating the time to get back to her apartment, or more importantly, her bed. She crushed the voice of caution in her head. She wanted to feel alive.
As if reading her thoughts, Xander broke off the kiss. She tried to stop a whimper from the loss of contact. He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Thanks for the dance. You’re more impressive than I’d even imagined you’d be.” He looked pained, and his blue eyes had a deep sadness she couldn’t grasp.
He spun her and stepped behind her. Then he hugged her lightly. By the time she cleared the fog from her head and turned around, he was gone. Vanished. Disappointment, embarrassment, and sexual frustration swamped her.
Angie walked up and put her arm around her. “What was all that? Where did he go? I guess you’ve got plans for later tonight.” She wiggled her eyebrows, then took in Kate’s bewildered expression. “Where did he go?”
“I have no idea, but I didn’t know my body could feel this way. I guess that answers any questions of me being frigid. I’m shaking. Energy is shooting around my body. If I were to touch a light socket, I’d take the power out of the whole block.” Kate shivered. Something irrevocable had happened tonight, but what? She shrugged. “I guess he had his fun and bailed.”
Angie led Kate back toward their table. “If you’d been watching from the cheap seats like me, you wouldn’t be saying that. He looked like he was going to devour you.”
“Wishful thinking.” Kate groaned and put her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I did all that.” Reality was finally shining through. “Let’s go home. I’ve done enough damage for one night, and I need a cold shower to gain some clarity.” She stood and headed for the door.
Angie nodded and followed. “Sounds good to me. I wasn’t able to find anyone remotely interesting. Not that I would have acted easy to get like you!” She caught Kate’s purse as it came flying at her head.
Laughing, they headed home.
* * *
Xander flashed into a deserted hallway and held himself against the wall. Two seconds longer, and he would have flashed them to her bedroom. Talk about a lot of explaining to do. He’d taken advantage of Kate, who he was supposed to be protecting. He had risked exposing his community’s secrets and who he was. If Xavier hadn’t broken into his thoughts and forced him to focus, he would have been royally screwed and a lot more satisfied. He groaned again. This shit wasn’t fair!
He could still feel her lips against his, and the way her body pressed against his in a perfect fit. Nothing in his wildest dreams had prepared him for the reality of holding and kissing Kate. He finally understood what the connection between a Guardian and Mystic could become. He had known this was going to be impossible.
Growling at Xavier to vent his frustration, he snapped, “What the hell do you want? You drive me to the brink of insanity to track Kate down and get to business, then you interrupt. I was kind of enjoying the moment. Since my days are numbered, I’d really like to know what was so important.” Electricity still swamped his system, and his raging libido was not helping. Thirty years attached to a phantom and not being able to connect with anyone else was beginning to take its toll.
Xavier flashed in and punched his shoulder. His teeth were bared, his stare intense, as he leveled with him. “Sorry to interrupt your play time, princess, but I thought you’d like to know that a demon assassin team has breached the city, and they’re searching for your girl. So play time is over for both of you. Gregory is tracking them, and so am I. Right now, they’ve split into two groups. Gregory will meet you at her apartment. Tell the girl, tell her now.” He faded back into the Shadows.
Well, shit. This conversation isn’t likely to go well. Xander punched the wall and flashed to Kate’s apartment building. She was definitely not prepared for what was coming. None of them were.
Chapter 3
Pulling on her favorite black athletic pants and a blue T-shirt, Kate finally felt a little better and had most of her emotions under control. A cool shower had given her some space to think and had helped her gain perspective. Her attraction to Xander was an aberration due to raging hormones and lack of sleep. It had to be. Hero worship was a common occurrence under the circumstances.
She needed to get her focus back on Trey and her five-year plan. She could do this. She could have a normal life with a man who cared for her. She refused to acknowledge the fact that she hadn’t even seen him since she’d returned.
Loud knocking at the door had her and Angie running into the living room with their weapons drawn. Kate looked at the clock. “Who the hell is at the door at this time of night?”
Angie shrugged and reached for the door first, looking through the peephole. “Well, well, if it isn’t our two adorable new agent friends.”
“What? Why would they be here?” Kate wasn’t ready to face her actions from a few hours ago. Hadn’t she been humiliated enough? To make it worse, he brought a friend along. And whether she liked it or not, he made her feel desires and emotions that were best locked away. Her goal had been to avoid pain, not embrace it.
“I’m not the mind reader.” Angie shrugged and opened the door. “Agent Montgomery and Agent Pierce. What a pleasant surprise at three in the morning. To what do we owe the pleasure?” At least her sarcasm made Kate smile a little. They backed up to let them in. The two agents exchanged a glance, and dread formed a knot in Kate’s stomach. Her spidey sense tingled, and that was never a good sign.
Xander walked in first and stood in front of them, while Agent Pierce walked over to the windows. “It looks like our current case has crossed paths with yours, so actually there is no easy way to explain this.” His expression was agitated, and he was wringing his hands. He sat down on one of the chairs.
His anxiety brought an awareness to Kate. They weren’t agents. She wasn’t sure why she had the knowledge, but she’d bet her badge on it. Who are these men, and what do they want with us?
Angie pulled Kate over, and they sat on the couch opposite Xander. “You aren’t with any federal agency are you?” She tried to patiently wait for his answer, but her own fear was coming into play. Kate closed her eyes and opened the door in her mind she’d always kept firmly closed.
When she opened them and focused on Xander, she saw a lot of gray in his aura. Figures, he’s hiding behind a wall. She sighed and dug deeper to see his true energy field. He was accomplished at staying hidden, but she began to see shades of red for strength and passion, blue for calm and truth, gold for power and harmony, and many other colors swirling around him. They were vibrant and exuded a positive energy. She found no traces of evil or dishonesty.
Kate wanted this wretched night and her roller coaster emotions to end. “Just spit it out already.”
Xander smoothed his hands over his jeans, obviously weighing his words carefully. Finally, he reached forward and took Kate’s hand. “The world is not as simple as you believe. There are many more aspects and dimensions than you can imagine.”
“Like what?” Doubt trickled into her mind. This couldn’t be real. She tried to ignore pieces of her vision that kept popping up in her mind.
“Like the thing we killed in the alley. It was a demon, which is why it turned to ash.” Kate stared in horror. She met his eyes. These guys were crazy.
“Demons, magic, dimensions. None of that’s real. I don’t know who the hell y’all are, but stop wasting our time.” Even as she said the words, a part of her knew it wasn’t completely true.
Agent Pierce finally stepped forward and gaped at them. “Seriously? What the hell was kicking your asses back in that alley then?
You both know you would have died that night. You saw how we killed it and what happened. Stupidity does not become you. Name’s Gregory by the way. Guess we should all get to know each other.”
Angie retorted. “So what does that make you, a demon hunter? Go back to your cheap seat over there by the window and butt out of our conversation if you can’t be civil.”
Kate took a moment to finally observe Gregory. He hadn’t even flinched at Angie’s comment. He always had a slight smile on his face like they were the butt of the joke in his head. His hair was short and clean cut, but black as night. His eyes were hazel, always varying on the hinge of blue or green depending on his mood, she guessed. His skin had a darker Mediterranean tint, but his build was tall and strong like Xander’s. These men had obviously been training for a long time. Xander brought back her focus. Without meaning to, she gave a little growl.
“Quit looking as if you are ready to attack us, Kate. Do you think this is any easier to tell than to hear? Besides, you already know the answer. One, you saw it with your own eyes. Two, my guess is that you have been having weird dreams. Three, you have special abilities that average humans do not possess. That’s why we are here. Demons have discovered who you are, and we are running out of time to get you somewhere safe.”
Kate’s first thought was to kill them. They had to be crazy and knew way too much. Reason settled in, her second thought forced her to wonder if this explained her vision. A warning. That’s why she had been healed. She was so close to a normal life. She wouldn’t just give up and go on the run with strangers. Truth or fiction didn’t matter. Either way, she wasn’t going to trust them, or go anywhere with them.
Xander jerked her off the couch, despite her yelp of protest. “Look, I don’t have time for a detailed explanation. You are being tracked by demons much worse than what you saw in the alley. Gregory and I have been sent as your protectors. We have to take you somewhere safe. I know you have doubts. I can’t imagine how overwhelming all of this is to you and, quite frankly, I don’t care, but you have to trust us.” He opened his hand, and a fireball appeared.
Kate gasped at the heat emanating from him. She couldn’t allow herself to believe, because if she did, she’d never be able to return to a normal life. She held back her tears. The safe world she’d created for herself started to crumble underneath her. She and Angie would disappear for a while. They could take care of themselves.
“That’s a neat party trick, but I’m not buying. I decline your protection. I am this close to a normal life.” She held her thumb and forefinger together. “I have a great guy I’m going to marry and a job I love. Nothing on this Earth can make me choose otherwise.” Sadness, anger, and pain flooded Kate as she backed away. Everything was spiraling out of control. Just once, couldn’t she be allowed to find happiness?
Xander cut the distance between them in one stride. His own anger surrounded her. “Do you think I wanted to spend the last thirty years of my life searching for you?” He roared, grabbing her by the arm. “I haven’t had a life for your entire life! Now, you want to give me a sob story about all of this human shit? Get over yourself. It’s your job to save the world, and that will be your only goal. Throw the rest out the window and don’t expect pity from me.” He released her and jerked back the sleeve from his forearm.
He forced her to look at an intricate tattoo covering his whole arm. It reminded her of a shield protecting an angel, but also had symbols she couldn’t identify etched into a sword going down the center of the entire image. She had dreamed of this image every night of her life. What did it mean?
* * *
Gregory put a restraining hand on Xander’s shoulder. “She doesn’t understand our world or what has been sacrificed. We knew she would not easily believe.”
Xander shrugged off his hand and fought for control. How dare she talk to him about marriage, when he hadn’t been able to touch a woman since being branded with the guardian mark? She’d had a full life, while he had been reduced to the life of a golden retriever. His whole mission was to fetch.
Slowly, Gregory’s words sank in, and he realized some of Kate’s resistance had been fear. She couldn’t love the human. It wasn’t her destiny. He needed patience and time. He had screwed up once again and could feel the dread she carried. The panic was not because of him. Watching her, he finally realized she feared her destiny. She knew more than any of them had believed.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you. This isn’t easy for any of us. Our world is made up of many realms, but at some levels we all connect. Every four to five-hundred years, a battle called the Rising occurs. The winner of this battle determines dominion over the realms, or at least the majority of them. So far, the good guys have won ... barely.
“The main determinant of the battle is the showdown between the Mystic and the Omega, or Demon Lord. Each represents light versus darkness. The Rising is not our main concern at the moment, and is not for several months, but finding the Mystic is. Without the Mystic, the world, including your human realm, will be plunged into darkness.”
Xander could tell he had made progress. At least, she appeared to be trying to process the information. But, as quickly as she was processing, she erected barriers, so she wouldn’t have to believe or accept her destiny. He tracked her thoughts through Angie to guide her to the truth. She would not give in without a fight. After all, for the moment, her human mind did not accept magic easily. Humans lived in ignorance of what they could not explain with science.
This next part was not going to go over any better, so he decided to get it all out in the open. “Kate, you are the Mystic. It’s why you have the abilities you try so hard to hide. If you look deep inside yourself and conquer the fear holding you back, you will find your destiny and know who you are.”
“You are joking, right? I am not some savior going to do battle. I need you to leave and never come back.” Kate walked to the door and opened it, inclining her head for them to leave.
He flicked it closed with a wave of his hand and saw the alarm streak across her face. Part of him wanted to soothe her and part of him wanted her to suffer the way he had for so many years. “I’m sorry, but you are the Mystic. Whether or not you accept it right now is not my concern. We have demons right on top of us and must go somewhere safe.”
Angie had been unusually quiet, letting everything unfold, so he decided to check in with her thoughts. To his surprise, she didn’t seem shocked by what he had told them. Instead, she seemed relieved, and had been expecting something like this to happen.
While Kate had shut down who she was, Angie had always believed there was something more. How curious. Angie would be helpful after all. He would take Angie with them to their first location, to help Kate move toward acceptance. Then, he would find a safe place for her to hide. Demons could use her as leverage, and Kate would never allow her to be harmed. His life had gotten way too complicated.
“Pack a bag and let’s go to a hotel outside the city,” he said. “I will try to answer more of your questions then. Right now, we don’t want innocent people being hurt. Like an apartment complex full of them.” He figured if nothing else, he could appeal to her sense of protection. She would not allow innocents to be harmed because of her. “Let’s move.”
“Too late.” Gregory moved quickly toward Xander. They pushed the girls behind them.
* * *
Kate felt the presence of a third person, but couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. When Xander opened his eyes, he exchanged a look with Gregory that had her reeling from panic. Maybe she couldn’t read his mind, but she could read his emotions. Something was coming. Make that–something was here!
“Xander,” Kate started, but stopped when he motioned them to be quiet. He reached forward and squeezed her hand, with a look of reprimand written on his face.
Mayhem erupted.
Three demons appeared in a triangle formation in their living room. Talk about too much proof at once. I get it already! Kate
wanted to scream the words, but knew this was real.
Xander threw Kate and Angie back against the wall. Kate hit with enough force to rattle her teeth. After getting back on her feet, she glanced at Angie, realizing she was okay, too.
The guys had taken swords out of the air and faced the enemy in a manner worthy of the Romans. She sighed in relief. At least demons hadn’t progressed to using semi-automatics. Advancing, feigning, dropping back. Both sides had incredible focus and techniques.
Kate and Angie got into their own formation, preparing to fight. Otherwise, they stayed out of their protectors’ way. As Kate watched the warriors and demons move with incredible speed and agility, she knew the irrefutable truth. It terrified her.
The demons were hideous. One had red eyes, while those of the other two were completely black. Their skin was grayish in color, with scars of some sort, and tattoos covered them from head to foot. Probably symbols of some kind, but Kate had never seen them before, except the pitchfork which she equated to something evil.
The demons were dressed in black tanks and black leather pants. Their hair was cropped to the scalp, or completely shaven with tattoos in its place, and their facial expressions were full of hate and rage.
When Kate met their eyes, her stomach rolled in revulsion, and her psychic powers were overloaded with horrifying images. They reminded her of evil creatures from the worst horror movies ever made. No one could doubt they were demon through and through, and their goal was to destroy her. Not the most pleasant thought she’d ever had.
She watched from the corner. Xander and Gregory were careful with their movements. They stayed low and always placed themselves between her and the demons. They could have killed them all by now, but needed to stay close together. Their main goal was to protect her, which limited their range of motion. Guilt swamped her. She watched them struggle between killing the demons and saving her.