The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (25 page)

Chapter 25: You Can’t Go Home Again

THE ADIRONDACKS WERE BLANKETED in fresh snow as we drove north. I gazed out the window as the scenery flew past us. Purplish clouds roiled above us, and a brisk wind buffeted the car. Involuntarily, I squeezed the arm rest, drawing an amused eye roll from Sean. I shrugged and let go. After everything we’d been through, I knew we weren’t going to die in a car wreck today. We would be back in Plattsburgh soon. I was getting more and more tense the closer we got. My dad was going to kill me. I was pretty sure of that. There was only one solution.

“I have to move out.”

Sean said, “Okay. I’ll bite. Why do you have to move out?”

“He’s going to kill me; and probably, you too. Or maybe he’ll just kill you and leave me alive to suffer.”

He snorted and disagreed, “He’s not going to kill either of us. We’ll just have a talk with him, and he’ll understand everything. It’ll be fine, babe. Don’t worry about it.” He squeezed my leg and let his palm rest there.

My leg tingled and heat spread up my thigh. Then my face got warmer. Whew, was it getting hot in here? I fanned myself and unbuttoned my sweater. Suddenly I was
way
too hot. It was like a furnace in here! When I peeled off my sweater, Sean nearly drove the car off the road.

Dec peered into the front seat, and said, “Dude, what are you doing up here?” Bursting into laughter, he wheezed, “No way!”

What was the matter with him? Nonplussed, I turned towards Sean and his mouth dropped open. He whipped the car onto the shoulder and threw it into park.

“Out,” he ordered.

“What? What’s the matter with you two? I’m not getting out!”

Gritting his teeth, he pulled the vanity mirror down and pointed at it. Geez, now what? I looked into the mirror and flinched. Oh crap. I was glowing again. Resigned, I got out and sat in the snow until my body temperature went down. Sean and Dec alternated between pacing and laughing. Well, mostly Sean paced and Dec laughed. I couldn’t decide if this was funny or not. I was going to have to get this under control though. I was pretty sure I couldn’t explain this to my father.

As we pulled up to my parents’ house, we had our story straight. I’d hoped to slink off to my apartment without notice, but my dad opened the front door as soon as we parked the car. He did
not
look happy to see me. Janet was just as unhappy. I sighed and crossed my fingers. I hoped this plan worked. I gave a jaunty little wave and pretended to get something out of the trunk. Dec and Sean approached my parents with their most innocent expressions. Obviously furious, Dad started to say something, but Dec took his hand. After several minutes of conversation with Dec, it was done. Janet and Dad were smiling and waving me inside. They wanted to hear all about our field trip. I shook my head in amazement. It’s a good thing he uses his powers for good…

Later that night, I lay on my bed with my stereo playing softly next to me. Domino was still mad at me and wouldn’t tolerate my attempts to snuggle. She was curled at the foot of the bed with her back to me. Sean said she’d come around. I guess he’d know. Right now, I doubted it, the ungrateful mutt. I decided to ignore her to stare across the room some more. I sent Sean away so I could think. I had to get some of my jangled thoughts into order. A lot had happened, and we still had a lot to do. I had more questions than answers, and knew, without a doubt, there would be more tragedy and pain. I felt it. I couldn’t
see
it yet, but it was coming. Before we left the safe house this morning, Raphael pulled me aside. 

With serious eyes he’d said, “I’m afraid your destiny isn’t written in stone, little one. It’s still evolving, as are you. You continue to surprise us with new abilities, and these will continue to shape your destiny.”

“What are you saying, Raphael? I’m not going to stay with them? With Sean?” I wouldn’t accept that. I wasn’t leaving him. Ever.

He shook his head. “No, child. That’s not what I’m saying at all. Your true destiny is forged by your abilities and how you choose to use them. It comes down to choices. I’m saying you must harness these abilities
now
. Work to understand and sharpen them. Use your
strengths
to become stronger. Use your
wisdom
to become wiser. Use your
sight
to see farther.”

He smiled sadly at me. “You will be challenged, and you will be hurt. There is great pain on your path, Mica.”

Somehow that didn’t surprise me. “Will I ever learn to heal myself?” I was getting tired of being broken by men, and now I had to worry about demons.

He considered my question for a moment before placing his palm against my cheek. There was no familiar tingling or supernatural warmth. Instead, I felt only the rough texture of his palm. His eyes were slightly unfocused as he gazed into mine.

“Relax. I’m going to give you a special gift.” With eyes closed, he spoke firmly in a language I didn’t understand. When he finished, he kissed my forehead and sat back.

“Go with God, child.” And then he was gone.

So now I sat and puzzled over his words. More pain in my future didn’t sound good, but I wasn’t surprised. My transformation had to be related to the Primani and they hunted demons. It made sense I would be involved with demons too, and they would be dangerous. I pictured Dai Li’s gleaming red eyes and swallowed uneasily. A sudden gust of wind pushed a tree branch against the roof, and I jumped. With a nervous snicker, I started toward the refrigerator. A loud clap of thunder shook the house, and the lights flickered. Domino jumped up and barked furiously. A flash of light blinded me through the blinds and thunder shook the house so hard I lost my balance and fell hard against the desk. The lights went out, and Domino went crazy. She planted herself in front of me, barking viciously at an invisible threat. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I wasn’t alone.

The stench of rotten eggs filled the room. Watching me with something like curiosity on his face, he waited near the door. He kept his human mask in place for now, but the gleaming yellow eyes gave him away. The demon seemed surprised to see me though and hesitated. That was interesting.

“What do you want?”

“Are
you
the one the Primani protect?” he asked tentatively. His eyes darted all over the room. He curled his lip at Domino who was still snarling like a mad dog. Oddly, he didn’t try to go around her.

“Who’s asking? Dec?” I challenged loudly.

He didn’t expect that. His yellow eyes narrowed. “Dec? Stupid human bitch! Just shut up and listen to me. I’m here to deliver a message for the Primani.” He twitched a finger, and Domino lunged. He actually backed up a step.

“Tell them Dagin says the truce is over.”

“What truce is he talking about?” I spit out random questions to stall him. I was hoping my protectors would miraculously show up before I got barbequed. It was working too; until the door suddenly opened, and Trevor barged into the room. Surprised, the demon whirled around and threw a fireball at this new threat.

Two things happened then. Domino launched herself between the fireball and Trevor and they vanished. The demon exploded into a cloud of smoke. Trevor! I ran outside screaming for Trevor. Another flash lit up the sky. Blinded by the light, I ran headlong into Dec and Sean who appeared out of nowhere. Both grabbed me to keep me from falling, and I slapped at their hands.

“Let go of me! I have to find them! They’re gone!” Frantically, I called Trevor’s name.

“What happened?” Sean grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to calm down. They arrived expecting a fight, and Dec’s eyes were intense as he scanned the yard.

“There they are!” Dec yelled. He sprinted towards a huge snowdrift near the back of the property.

Oh no! I was completely undone. There, lying in a large puddle of melted snow, were my little brother and my dog. Both were still smoking. Sean and Dec skidded to a stop and swore. How did they get out here? I stared for a minute and then I knew what to do. I knew exactly what to do!

“Mica! We need to call an ambulance!” Sean stopped me.

“No, we don’t! I know what to do. Let go of me!”

He hesitated, and I said, “Raphael gave me a gift.” I let the words sink in and headed to Trevor’s side.

He wasn’t burned to ash like my vision had shown, but he was burned pretty badly. I forced back nausea and bit my lip. The poor kid looked terrible. Most of his bright red hair was singed to the scalp, and his freckled face was seared like a steak. Thank God he was unconscious. Okay, I can do this. Raphael, if you’re listening, make sure I do it right! I put my hands on Trevor’s face and closed my eyes. Carefully, I repeated Raphael’s strange words. Nothing happened so I tried it again. This time I added something else. I called to the energy inside of me. Gradually, the current of energy converged, slowly flowing through my fingers into Trevor’s body. My hands vibrated with the force of it, but I held them still until Trevor began to heal. Beginning with his face, the burns vanished, and his skin returned to normal. I pulled my hands back and shook them at my sides. Trevor blinked sleepily at me and asked what happened. I hugged him quickly and turned to Dec who was squatting next to me.

“Can you fix his memory?” I asked.

He nodded, and said, “I’m all over it. Nice work.”

A few feet away, Sean sat with Domino cradled in his arms. His eyes were bleak when he looked at me over her head. When I sat down with them, she wagged her tail and tried to raise her head.

“Be still, baby girl. You’re going to be okay.” I hummed a lullaby while I peered into her sad chocolate eyes.

She laid her chin on Sean’s arm and sighed. This better work on dogs… I took her scorched little face in my hands and began again. I took a deep breath, gathered my energy and let it flow from my fingertips. My hands vibrated and tingled with the force of the current, but Domino didn’t respond. Digging deeper within myself, I pushed more healing energy into her. My hands started to burn, and still she didn’t respond. She cried out and licked at my hands. Come on, come on! It wasn’t working! What else could I do? Sean put his hand over mine and squeezed.

“Let me help.”

He joined his much stronger
saol
with mine and repeated the words. The glow from our joined hands illuminated his face as he concentrated. A tear shimmered as it slowly rolled down his cheek. Again and again, we repeated the words until Domino began to heal. The poor baby had taken the brunt of the fireball and had more injuries than Trevor. After a few minutes, she was healed. Shaking her head, she struggled to her feet and wagged her tail. I threw my arms around her and cried. My baby was back!

Sean found me a bit later and approached with caution. I was standing with my back against the wall staring at the place where Trevor and Domino had landed. I had so many questions, but I just wanted to sleep. I was afraid to sleep because I would dream. So I stood there instead. Feeling my tension, he kneaded my shoulders until I relaxed against him. We stood silently for a very long time.

As the sun started to rise, I turned to him, and said, “I’m moving into the farmhouse--today.”

“I’ll help you pack.”

My dad was profoundly unhappy with my decision to move in with Sean. As far as he was concerned, Sean was just a high school kid. I embellished the circumstances, telling him we were in love and getting married. I was an adult and could do what I wanted, but I asked for his understanding. He didn’t understand. I hoped someday he would. I was throwing my things into garbage bags when Sean pulled up with his car. We were loading my stuff when Ricki walked over.

“So you’re leaving again?” she observed without a smile.

Unsure of her mood, I said, “I’m moving in with Sean.”

Her eyebrows went up. “No shit?”

I couldn’t help it; I cracked a smile at that. She smiled too. Then we were hugging each other and laughing. She was still mad about my disappearing without a word. I tried the field trip excuse, and she told me to cut the bullshit. She didn’t buy that story. I threw a glance at Sean. He gave me a slight shake of the head. Okay, so she wasn’t allowed to know the truth. When I faced Ricki again, she was glaring at Sean. He met her eyes and held them. He offered me his hand, and I started to lean into him, and then froze awkwardly in mid-lean. What if I started glowing again? I couldn’t explain that to her so I stepped back from his hand.

Sean said, “Come on, Mica, we better get moving. It’s going to snow again.”

He was right. The sky was threatening to drop huge amounts of snow. I told Ricki I’d talk to her soon. She wasn’t happy about that but went back to her house without another comment. Everything was loaded including Domino who rode shotgun with Sean. As we drove away, I couldn’t help feeling it was not a moment too soon.

Chapter 26: All Kinds of Teachers

OUR ARRIVAL AT THE FARMHOUSE was anticlimactic. I expected Killian to be upset about my decision, but he wasn’t. Instead, he helped us carry my bags into the bedroom. As I hung up my clothes, he lounged in a chair, talking with Sean. He ignored me completely as they talked over upcoming missions. I’d never seen him actually relax before. He looked different. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. This was a side of him that I didn’t believe existed. If he wasn’t careful, he might smile a real smile and give me a heart attack…

He tilted his face towards me and smiled a real smile. It transformed his face completely. He was breathtaking. Wow! My mouth dropped open. He burst into genuine laughter. I put my hand over my heart and pretended to die. He laughed even harder and Sean joined in. I fell over on the bed and laughed too. It felt so amazing to laugh again. I guess all of us needed the release because we lay there still chuckling minutes later when Dec popped in.

As the winter wound down, things got harder. Alex insisted we keep things normal to avoid questions so we still had to go to school. It wasn’t a big deal for Sean and Dec since they didn’t really care about homework or grades. This was just a cover for them. They’d leave school with me whether they graduated or not. This was really hard for me though. I had nebulous plans for college so I actually wanted to keep my grades up. I was trying to juggle homework, a part-time job, and oh, learning to tap into my suddenly-burgeoning-psychic-abilities.

Alex and Raphael had a talk with the guys before we left Manhattan. Apparently they foresaw my move into the farmhouse and gave strict instructions on my education. Alex insisted they help me develop my abilities and uncover any new ones that were hiding. They explained to me that all Primani have some common abilities, like teleporting and self-healing. But each also has a unique ability that gives him an individual strength. When they work together, they complement each other and form a stronger team. Because of this, they were dividing up my training. Dec would help me learn to manipulate my energy for healing, and Killian would help me hone my intuition and mind-reading. Since he and I were psychically connected anyway, this seemed like a no-brainer to me. I wasn’t sure I wanted him inside my head though.

For some reason known only to him, Alex insisted Sean teach me to fight. Last fall we sparred together at the gym. Sean was all business as he patiently taught me to defend myself. This was totally different. This went way beyond self-defense, and he drilled me obsessively. He spent hours teaching me hand-to-hand combat intended only to kill. I’d already mastered taking a gun from an attacker. I still had a lot to learn as every new bruise showed me. Because our training was so physical, we couldn’t train in the public gym so we used a converted room in the basement. The snow had finally melted away and today was the first warmish day of spring. Sweat was running into my eyes. I found a dry piece of shirt to wipe the sweat out of my eyes.

“You don’t have time for that! Do you think the bad guy’s going to let you wipe your eyes? NO!” Sean’s voice was harsh.

“Fine!”

I got back up and staggered over for another round. We were drilling on how to avoid a knife. I didn’t have time to react when he lunged and pinned me to the ground. The plastic knife slit my throat before I even put up my hands.

He straddled me and threw the knife down. “You’re dead!”

He hauled me up, and said, “Again. This time, you need to react; at least
do
something!”

I ground my teeth together. Oh, so he wanted a reaction? He came at me with the knife lowered, and I dodged to the side just as the blade would have stabbed me. He swung again, and I pushed his arm to one side and kneed him in the balls as hard as I could. He dropped like a rock. Bull’s eye!

I kicked the knife away and pressed my heel into his wrist for good measure. Just enough pressure to know I was there… I stood there happily gloating for a minute until I realized he wasn’t making any noise at all.

“Sean?”

“Come on, stop milking it! You’re not that hurt!”

Silence. I couldn’t see his face because it was turned away from me. Was he breathing? Uncertain, I knelt down to check on him. As soon as I bent over, he grabbed me by both arms and flung me over his body and then rolled on top of me pinning me to the ground. He shoved another plastic knife against my throat. His cheek pressed against mine as he pressed the knife. Sweat dripped into my eyes and burned like fire. His breathing was harsh while mine was non-existent. He’d knocked the wind out of me. My mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water.

“What the hell, dude? Get off her, you tool. Are you trying to really kill her?” Dec interrupted my death scene.

Swearing softly, Sean rolled off in one fluid motion. My rescuer offered to give me mouth-to-mouth if it would help. Then he made kissing noises in my ear. I inhaled sharply as I tried to laugh at him. Wheezing, I sat up and glared twin holes into Sean’s back. So he wants to play rough, does he? I growled and launched myself against his legs. He toppled like a tree, and I was on him like a vine. Before he could throw me off, I skewered him like a shish kebab. Oh, he was so dead. Oh, yeah. To add insult to injury, I stood back and aimed a fake kick at his head. Then I danced my way back to Dec who gave me a high five and a down low.

“I heard you took down your trainer today, princess,” Killian commented over dinner that night.

“He had it coming.”

“No doubt.”

“She was a rock star!” Dec added loyally.

Sean grumbled and took his plate into the kitchen. He was in a crappy mood. He was still dreaming, and the dreams were getting more intense. Strangely, he still wouldn’t admit he was dreaming. Lack of sleep was taking a toll on him though. His eyes were ringed with purple shadows. He was exhausted by the end of the day but still pushed himself to teach me. Frowning, I followed him to the kitchen. He was sitting on the counter with his eyes closed and head back in a stretch.

“Come to bed with me?” I tugged at his hand, and he followed.

I curled against his side and lay my head on his chest. He hadn’t said a word to me tonight. What was going on here? Was he really mad at me? It wasn’t like him to be this quiet. I scooted up so I was level with his ear and whispered, “Forgive me?”

He wrapped his arms around me and absently rubbed his thumb down my neck. “Forgive you? Why? You did exactly what you should do. I think the real question is do you forgive me. I got carried away. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. You’re just trying to make me stronger. I get it. You worry about me, but you shouldn’t, you know. I’ll be okay. Let’s just forget about it. I have other things on my mind right now.”

“You’re insatiable. I think I’ve created a monster.” His lips followed the same trail as his thumb. A few minutes later, he rested his chin on my thigh, and asked, “Are you purring?”

The dream was gone, but I held fragments of it behind my closed eyes. Like a kaleidoscope, the green and black shifted and changed in tiny cells. They formed a beautiful black and green symmetrical pattern that was only ruined by a singular discordant flash of blinding white. I hovered in that magical state between sleep and wakefulness and forced my sight to reach beyond the tiny cells. What if I could pull away the borders to open the image up as it was meant to be seen outside of a dream? Breathing carefully, I dismantled the edges piece by piece. As each cell was released, the nonsensical colors took shape as a green forest in the dark of night. The sky sparkled with millions of stars. I marveled at the brilliance of the tiny balls of gas when a flash nearer to me caught my attention. Just outside my vision, a vivid white light expanded and contracted with greater intensity. The light exploded, and my vision went dark.

“Slowly now, come back to me. Open your eyes.”

I opened my eyes, exhaling slowly. My hand was shaking, and Killian steadied it.

“Good girl. Now breathe slowly until you feel balanced again.”

“Well?” I asked.

He peered into my face, studying my eyes for damages, and sat back on his heels. “It’s much better this time. You still have color, and you controlled your breathing. Both good signs, I think. Your eyes look freaked out though. Maybe you could blink now; you’re scaring the wildlife.” He gestured toward a squirrel that was peeking nervously from behind a branch above us.

In the back of the property, I’d found a little space surrounded by maple trees with a wide patch of fresh grass in the center. Too small to be a real meadow, it was perfect for my lessons. Every other day, I came here and worked on refining my intuition. Some days I came alone and meditated. During meditation, I opened my mind to any premonitions or dreams that would come. No premonitions had shown up so far. Dreams came often and sometimes nothing came at all. The cream-colored room in my mind sat empty and calm. Killian came with me every few days. In his way, he was a natural teacher. He was extremely patient and relaxed while we worked through the exercises he designed.

“What do you remember about the dream?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Green forest, starry sky, explosion.”

He was thoughtful for a moment, and admitted, “I caught the explosion in your eyes. Did you see what it was?”

“You did what? How did you see that?”

It was his turn to shrug. “I always watch your eyes when you slip away like that. If your eyes are partially open, I can see your visions too. I only saw a bright flash.”

“That is so cool.”

Intrigued with this new information, we lost track of time, brainstorming possible causes and reasons for this connection between us. It was fascinating how I was connected to each of them. Dec could hear my voice, Killian could hear my thoughts and see my visions, and I was becoming more convinced that Sean was connected to the core of who I am… He shared my soul. What did it all mean?

Later that night, we made plans to go into town for pizza and some socializing. I missed my friends and wanted to be a normal person for a few hours. Ricki and Dani were meeting us at The Angry Lizard. I hoped they’d bring Kevin and Aric. I missed them too. I twirled in front of the mirror to check the effect of the skirt I was wearing. It was very short and airy with layers of white cotton. It floated around me when I twirled. It was hot tonight so I wore a fitted purple tank top and sandals. The only jewelry I wore was my locket. I never took it off.

I curtseyed in front of Sean. “Well?”

His eyes gleamed with pride as he took in my flushed face and bare legs. “Beautiful! Too beautiful to go out! Let’s stay here…” He pulled me up for a long lingering kiss that made me dizzy and overheated.

Sean was still looking smug as we drove into town. Killian had taken one look at me and pressed his lips together. With a shake of his head, he got into the driver’s seat. It was odd riding in a car with all three of them. We’d never gone out together before. Killian rarely showed up, and if he did, he stayed a few minutes and then left. Socializing wasn’t really his thing. For the past year, Killian was usually away on a mission and hadn’t been out with us at all.

As Killian parked the car, a small group of boys watched us with interest. Didn’t they realize they would never win a fight with their pants around their knees and their shoes untied? When Dec and Sean stepped out of the car, their cocky expressions went blank. When Killian stepped out, they suddenly found something else to gawk at.

Dani was the first to spot us. She was glowing in a normal healthy way tonight. She had a pretty yellow flower tucked behind her ear and wore a sheer peasant top with cut-off jeans. She was adorable. I spotted Aric lounging against her table and understood the glow. I headed over to see them with a smile of my own. Sean and Dec moved with more purpose and took a good look around the restaurant before coming over to us. I noticed that Dec angled himself so he could see the back door. They were never off-duty when we left the farmhouse. With Dagin’s truce dissolved, it was open warfare. We never knew when we’d run into one of Dagin’s crew. They liked to surprise us. Killian reappeared from checking the bathroom and straddled a stool. I bit my cheek as it registered that he was going to hang out with us. Aric stiffened with tension and Dani’s eyes widened with surprise. Before I could say anything, Ricki, Kevin, and Tyler strolled in. They took one look at us and froze. Geez, what is everyone’s problem tonight?

Sean whispered, “Pool?”

“Good idea. Hey, Killian, come play a game with me?” I headed towards the far pool table. Nonplussed, he played along.

“Is this necessary?” He smiled in his best harmless way as he racked up the balls.

“You look like the big bad wolf when you smile like that!” I broke into giggles at my own joke.

He smiled a real smile then and actually looked human. Maybe I was crazy, but I loved this complicated creature that scared the hell out of mere mortals. I understood their fear, but he was on their side. He risked his life constantly for them. They just didn’t know it. It wasn’t fair.

Dangerous thoughts, princess
. Moving lazily, he chalked the tip of the stick and waved me to go first.

“Mica, are you going to tell me what’s going on or what?” Ricki wasn’t one to sugarcoat anything.