The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (40 page)

Killian glared at him for a minute and said grudgingly, “A month, give or take a day.”

“What? How is that possible? No, don’t!” I held up a hand. “I know, I know, different dimension…but a month? Wow…”

“And while you were gone, we were busy. Let’s go for walk and I’ll catch you up,” Sean suggested.

He seemed in a good mood, so maybe he’d forgiven me. I hoped so. I was getting tired of being in the doghouse!

Killian added, “We have to get some plans together so don’t take too long. Things are about to get ugly around here.”

I saluted him smartly and said, “Aye-aye, Captain!”

The leaves were changing already. I loved the smell of fall and took a deep breath as we entered the woods behind the farmhouse. It was crisp and sunny today and I wistfully thought of apples.  I wondered if there was time to find a farmer’s market before we headed out to kill demons. Sean led the way towards our favorite spot by the creek. I followed him on the narrow trail and enjoyed the sight of his muscles working under his clothes. He had a great butt…I was a lucky, lucky girl.

He took my hand and helped me over the rocks until we came to our favorite boulder in the middle of the creek.

Sean leaned back in the sun for a minute before saying, “I’m glad you missed the attack last night. It was brutal. It was touch and go for a little while.” He sat up and grinned mischievously. “Dec lost it. He was so pissed off.”

“What happened?”

“One of the loser demons actually slashed his arm--that’s the blood on your wall--with a razor. It was a small razor…it’s a little like amateur hour to be hurt that way.”

“Are you serious? What, it’s too mundane? What’s he want? A fireball in the gut?”

He just laughed and said, “That’s exactly it. He was insulted. Getting blown up is much better. We’re warriors for crying out loud. I think he was mostly mad at himself though. He got distracted for a split second and that’s when it happened. He’ll never do that again!”

“Poor Dec!” I would stroke his ego later. ”So what were they doing at the penthouse? That seems weird to me.” I stopped and sat up suddenly. “They weren’t looking for me, were they?”

He rubbed his eyes. “Maybe, but I think they were looking for something else.”

“
Sgaine Dutre
?” Ignoring his surprise, I was thinking out loud. ”That’s it, isn’t it? But I’m thinking it’s not here…” Something tickled my brain. Wait a minute…

“It’s in Eden!”

“Where? What are you talking about?”

I stood up so I could move more. Movement always helps me think…hard to pace on a boulder though. “Killian’s…place.”

He looked sideways at me and said sarcastically, “Eden. It has a name?”

Waving him off, I said, “I named it that. It fits. Anyway,
Sgaine Dutre
is the knife, isn’t it?” My eyes misted as I remembered the heat of the fire. But the fire healed me in the end…and the knife was the vessel…a very ancient and very powerful vessel. It had also carved these runes into my skin…what power did it leave behind? What did the demon want with it?

He was quietly studying me and I felt a small pang of guilt. Here I was going on and on about this thing and we haven’t even made up yet. Most boyfriends would be pretty upset if their girlfriend left for a month in the company of a wicked-hot powerful supernatural warrior slash magical high priest. Probably I should try to make up with him…I plopped myself down so I could sit between his knees and leaned back against his chest. He rested his arms around me and just sat there. I supposed he was getting his thoughts together like I was.

Finally, I said, “I understand if you want me to go. I disappeared not once, but twice, and scared you to death. I haven’t been the greatest girlfriend…I can’t leave now though; there’s too much to do and it wouldn’t be fair to Dec and Killian.” When he didn’t respond, my heart sank. This was the part where he's supposed to beg me to stay. “I’ll move into the other bedroom for now and start looking for my own place. Maybe Dani will get a place with me. I’ll have to get a real job--” I was babbling now.

“Mica. Stop. Please.” His voice sounded hoarse. “Turn around and look at me.”

Like facing a firing squad, I twisted around very slowly. He sounded mad and I didn’t want to see the anger in his eyes. Instead, I looked into the trees, and the sky, and any other place. Grumbling, he turned my face so we were nose to nose.

“You are killing me,” he enunciated each word distinctly. “Every day is a new crisis with you. I’m surprised I have any hair left.” He gave me a not quite gentle head butt.

“Ow!” I rubbed my forehead.

“That's what you get for being stupid. You’re not going anywhere.” He sounded stern but his eyes sparkled. “How many years have you known Killian?”

Nonplussed, I said, “About four or so, why?”

“I’ve known him for a few thousand. So I think I know him better than you do. Do you honestly think anything could stop him from doing what he wants to do?

“Well, no, I guess not.” I turned my face away as thoughts of Killian’s personal sense of morality intruded in the back of my mind. He lives by his own rules and no others.

He threw a rock at the creek saying with some irritation, “Do you think I
liked
having you disappear with him for a month? No, I didn’t. Was I jealous? Absolutely! I'll admit that. But, and this is important, I trust that he knows what he’s doing. I’ve followed him into more battles than I can count and he’s never let me down.”

“He’s very good at what he does, isn’t he?”

He laughed with real humor. “Sweetheart, you have no idea! I wouldn’t follow anyone else.” He paused and said a little shyly, “I don’t want to press you, but if you feel comfortable…I’d really like to hear about the ceremony. It’s very old and it’s been lost in time. Killian’s the only remaining descendent who can use the powers of
Sgaine Dutre
. It's been tied to his family forever. I wish I could’ve been there to see it.”

Yeah…somehow I didn’t think he would’ve been happy with the process. Too much skin, too much blood, too much screaming…

“Do we have time? It’s a long story.”

Tightening his arms around me, he told me we had all the time I needed. Letting the sun warm my face, I sighed and began my story with, “Once upon a time, there was a princess…”

An hour later, I dried my eyes and wiped my nose on his shirt. I wasn’t the only one who was affected by my story. Sean’s emotions went up and down like a roller coaster, but he did a good job of hiding it. He’d been respectfully quiet while I shared my experiences in Eden. He was astonished that I instinctively knew it was another plane, and I didn’t freak out over the isolation. He was angry when I described the demon’s attack in my dream and shared my pain and horror during the cleansing by fire and water. I don’t know how long we sat there, but the sun was getting low when he stood up.

“Are you going to give me a proper kiss hello or do I need to toss you into the creek?” He punctuated the question by hanging me over the boulder by my feet. Chilly water bubbled up and splashed on my face.

Squealing at the cold, I yelled, “Okay, okay, I’ll kiss you!” He dangled me a little lower.

“Are you sure?” He lifted me like a yo-yo.

“Yes! Pick me up, you jerk!”

Laughing, he pulled me onto my feet and said, “I’m waiting.” His face went blank and he dropped his hands, waiting for me to kiss him.

I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him and hesitated. I stopped a few inches from his face and he winked at me. He was so sure I would kiss him now, and why not? More fun to make him wait though. Instead of kissing his mouth, I started with his fingertips. After all ten fingers were kissed I pressed his palm against my mouth and let it rest with a small kiss. Like we were made for each other, the curve of my jaw fit precisely in the palm of his hand. Inhaling his scent, I nuzzled the soft skin on the inside of his wrist and was rewarded with the rush of heat that rose to the surface. Taking my time, I spread tiny butterfly kisses up the muscle of his arm and across his collarbone to the base of his neck.

Instead of kissing his neck, I buried my face against it and wrapped my arms around his waist. I was on my tiptoes again when I finally pulled his face down to me.

Pulling back with a sexy grin and drowsy eyes, he breathed, “Well, now, that was a proper kiss. Good girlfriend.” He patted my butt and ducked when I swung a right hook towards his nose.

Sniffing in mock indignation, I left him standing alone on the rock. Head held high, I strolled off like I owned the place only to break into a full sprint when he suddenly appeared beside me. I keep forgetting about the super powers…laughing and gasping for air, I claimed victory at the driveway.

“You’re getting slow in your old age!” I crowed in the middle of my happy dance.

Not even breathing hard, he announced. “I let you win.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s see how fast I can pack?” I started for the door handle when he stopped me with one word.

“James.” He didn’t sound pleased.

“O'Cahan. I see you’ve got your girlfriend back all in one piece.” His voice grated on my nerves. He added as an afterthought, “Nice to see you again, Mica.”

Sean’s expression was carefully neutral as he talked to James on the front porch. He was always good at masking his emotions and was doing it now. The only telltale sign that he wanted to punch James was the tiniest twitching in his little finger. The rest of his body was draped loosely over the railing as he considered James with guarded eyes.

It was odd. James had changed recently. He’d been a little condescending when we met last year, but he was nice to me. He’s been more and more obnoxious every time I see him now. He was weirding me out with his strange covert glances. He was doing it now; looking at me from the corner of his eye like I was something nasty stuck on his shoe. What was his problem with me? I saved his life last year for God’s sake.

“I’m going inside. I’ll let Killian know you’re out here,” I said in as bland a tone as I could muster. I started towards the door but then stopped. I couldn’t help myself. Maybe the devil made me do it, I don’t know…but I kissed Sean full on the lips, with tongue, and sauntered into the house.

And ran smack into Killian’s chest just as he was about to open the door. I hit him, ricocheted back into the door, and bounced back into his chest. He caught my elbow before I could bounce anywhere else. With Dec’s hoot of hilarity echoing through the house, Killian smirked down at me.

Still gripping my elbow, he said, “Your exits suck.”

I didn’t even blush this time. He was right. My dramatic exits always ended in disaster. I should stop trying. Instead of a snappy comeback, I simply said, “Kitchen, now.” I stalked off grabbing Dec on the way.

Once safely in the kitchen, I said, “
What
is he doing here? Now he knows how to find us? We can’t trust him and he’s creeping me out! He keeps looking at me!”

Killian said, “Orders from Alex. James is going to be working with us on the Dagin problem. Since Dagin was the demon who held him hostage last year, he might have some unique perspective to offer us.” He lowered his voice and added, “Plus, he wants us to keep an eye on him.” He gave Dec a stern look and ordered, “We are
not
to eliminate James--Alex’s orders. I mean it, Dec, no killing James!”

Dec looked positively angelic and said with a broad grin, “Oh, but I’d so like to strangle him on behalf of all Primani.”

THE FRONT DOOR SLAMMED and Sean’s voice echoed as he hollered for us. Dec pushed open the kitchen door and waved them inside. James checked out the kitchen like he was memorizing the exits. Why was he so interested in this place?

He sensed my suspicion and returned a glance that said ‘prove it.’

Sean started to ask Killian about orders from Alex when the doorbell rang. Startled, we all looked at each other with a question in our eyes. Everyone shrugged. We weren’t expecting company. The doorbell rang again and Dani’s voice came faintly through the door. What was she doing here?

“She knows we’re here, so you might as well answer the door.” Sean was right. “Go see what she wants. I’ll fill you in later.”

She was hurrying back to her car when I ran onto the porch yelling for her to wait.

“Dani! What are you doing here?”

Her eyes filled with tears and her face crumpled. “Oh, Mica! I’m so glad you’re home!”

“What’s wrong? What happened?” I led her to the porch and sat down on the swing.

She didn’t look at me right away. Instead her gaze was somewhere high above the tree line and very far away. With a sob, she leaned into me and cried as if her heart was broken. I gathered her into my arms and held her while she cried. A slight tingle on the back of my neck alerted me that I wasn’t alone. I lifted my eyes to see Sean peering out of the doorway.

He lifted a hand in question and quietly mouthed, “What’s wrong?” at me. I shrugged helplessly as Dani continued to sob.

Rubbing her back, I waited for a lull and asked carefully, “Sweetie, what’s going on? Is it your mom?”

God, please let her mom be okay. She was all Dani had left.

Sniffing loudly, she struggled to stop crying and managed to catch her breath. “It’s Aric!” Her breath hitched again. “Oh, God, he’s dead! Mica, he’s dead!” With that, she broke down in sobs again.

Aric? No, it couldn’t be true! He wasn’t sick…there was nothing wrong with him…how could he be dead? I cried with her as I thought about the handsome boy who had been the love of Dani’s life. Aric was everything to her. He was perfect for her; they were so happy together. How could he be dead? I don’t know how long we sat on the swing wrapped in each other’s arms, holding each other up, struggling to deal with the overwhelming pain. Eventually, she leaned her head against the back of the swing exhausted from too many tears and too much raw emotion. Her haunted grey eyes were vacant as she stared out into space. She was completely shattered and I felt her agony tie me into knots. I held her hand and wished I could fix this.

Trying not to intrude, Sean slipped out and with a look of profound sadness, touched Dani’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head. She didn’t blink. My heart tightened and I squeezed her hand again.

After a few minutes, she seemed to come back to herself and shook her head to clear it. Smiling a weak watery smile, she blew her nose and said, “I’m so sorry I sprung this on you. I was going to call…but that seemed wrong.”

“Oh, Dani, don’t apologize to me! That’s what I’m here for, remember? Best friend?” I tried a smile, but it felt awkward on my face. Instead, I said, “Do you feel up to seeing the guys? Dec’s been staring out the window for an hour now, and I think he’s about to come through it.”

Sitting up stiffly, she closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. “Let me wash up first. My face is numb.”

I watched as Dani closed the door to the powder room and then bolted to the living room where everyone else waited. Wanting only my family around me, I skidded to a stop when I saw James lounging on a chair.

“You shouldn’t be here right now. This is a family emergency.”

He looked apologetic. “Oh, I’m sorry, I had no idea. What’s happened? Can I help?” He sounded sincere, but I didn’t trust him.

“Can you raise the dead?” I asked bitterly. “That’s the only thing that would help right now.”

He blinked and paused before asking, “Who’s dead?”

Sean growled under his breath and towed James to the door as Dani came into the room. Soap and water had worked minor miracles on her tear-ravaged face. Her eyes were still red and swollen but the pink in her cheeks looked healthy and her naturally pouty lips were even prettier. Those haunted grey eyes only emphasized her pale skin making her look like a china doll. Hovering in the doorway, she sent Dec a trembling smile as he rose to greet her. He was on his way to her side when James stepped between them.

Taking her arm, he said, “Here, let me help you to the table.”

Dani gazed up at him with surprise and just a little gratitude. She allowed him to lead her to a chair. Like a gentleman, he pulled the chair out for her and smiled into her eyes.

Dec wanted to kill James on the spot.

Killian spoke up. “Well, James, thanks for stopping by today. I’ll call you when we need to talk again.” It wasn’t a subtle order and we all waited for him to leave.

Flushing angrily, James made a sulky exit. Sean followed him leaving Dec to glare holes into his back. Dani was oblivious to the tension in the room and stared vacantly at the window. The wind tugged the maple tree’s branches back and forth in front of the window. The leaves were splatters of blood against the stark grey branches. It seemed a bad omen and I shivered. Dani was mesmerized by the branch, and I left her alone with her thoughts.

“James is scum, Dec. But Dani really needs you right now. Go and sit with her; her mind is in a bad place.”

With considerable effort, he rearranged his face and tamped down his anger. Grinding his teeth as he stood, he said, “He really needs his ass kicked.”

I snorted lightly, “True, but not today. I promise I’ll hold him down and you can beat the shit out of him some other time.”

“Deal.” He turned his attention to Dani and I left the two of them alone and went to find Sean.

Killian followed me out and said, “You’re a good friend, Mica.” He touched me lightly on the arm. “I have something to tell you. Let’s find Sean first.”

Sean was waiting for us on the porch staring at the air where James had vanished. He took one look at my face and said, “Did you tell her already?”

“No, she’s already upset. I wanted to wait for you.”

“What’s going on? You might as well tell me; this day can’t get any worse.”

Sean grimaced and said, “Yeah, it can.”

Killian hesitated and that freaked me out. Whatever it was, it was really bad.

Sean suggested I sit down. “No, I’m not going to sit. There’s nothing you can tell me that is going to hurt more than Aric’s death.”

“Two more brunettes were found murdered. Both were in their early twenties and had athletic builds.”

My stomach cramped and I said very carefully, “That doesn’t mean--”

“The last girl’s hair was hacked off.”

Stiffly, I touched my hair. “But--”

“Just like yours.”

My mind just sort of stalled out. I was awake but I just stood there like a zombie. This was too horrible to think about. It could only be one person, but how would he know about my hair? I haven’t seen him. Was he spying on me? When would he have done that? I’ve been surrounded by Primani since they rescued me. That’s crazy. Why would he do that?

“It makes no sense…” I whispered to myself.

Sean’s voice snapped like a whip. “Where is your gun?”

The change in tone confused me. “My gun? What’s that have to do with anything?”

Holding my shoulders tightly, he ordered, “Get your gun and load it. Keep it on you at all times--I mean it. You don’t pee without it. Do you understand me?”

He was in soldier-mode.

His tactic worked.

The brusqueness snapped me out of the numbness of shock. He’s right! I’m not a sitting duck here. I’m a trained killer. Between my gun, my knife, and my lethal hands and feet, I could protect myself pretty well. I’ve fought demons! One stupid human wasn’t going to kill me. Angry now, I pushed away from the wall and stalked into the house.

I knew exactly where my gun was.

Behind me I heard Killian comment, “That went better than I thought.”

Dani stayed for dinner and we all listened as she told us what happened to Aric. His mother called her this morning to give her the bad news. He’d been in a car accident coming home from work. The police thought he might have fallen asleep because his car ended up wrapped around a telephone pole in the middle of a sharp curve. There weren’t any skid marks, so they thought he was most likely asleep. She told us the story with tears in her eyes, but the hysterical weeping was gone. Dec’s magic again. Dani would never realize how he calmed her down, but she would feel better because of it.

“Stay for the night. You’re too tired to drive and I need your company.” I pleaded my case. It was after 10:00 now and her eyes were bleary.

She started to protest, but Sean cut her off. “Come on, Dani. You’re exhausted.”

I stifled a grin as I caught him with his hand on the small of her back. Catching my eye, he winked. In the space of a heartbeat, Dani’s eyes fluttered and she sank into his arms.

I pulled the blanket over her and smoothed her hair back. Her lashes left little shadows on her cheekbones as she mumbled peacefully in her sleep. She looked so innocent. Thanks to Sean’s help, she would sleep dreamlessly for about 12 hours. He was a miracle worker when it came to overwrought females.  She’d wake up refreshed and strong. I kissed my finger and pressed it to her forehead.

“Sweet dreams, my sister.”

Sean whispered, “She’ll be all right now. Do you want to sleep here?”

I leaned into him and soaked in the steady warmth. “I need some peace too. Let’s go to bed.”

In our room, I slipped off my clothes and crawled into Sean’s open arms. I curled up and fell immediately to sleep.

“Mica!” A loud crash startled me awake but sleep tugged at me and I closed my eyes again. Sean shook me with one hand and grabbed his gun with the other. Domino growled softly near the door. Another crash and a shout brought me completely out of bed and into a crouch.

“Get your gun!” Sean hissed.

A high-pitched scream reverberated through the house and Domino went ballistic. Dani! I snatched up my Sig and bolted for the door. Sean was already gone. The hallway was in chaos.  White smoke filled the corridor and people were everywhere. I couldn’t tell who was who in the smoke but tried to dodge them so I could get to Dani. Her room was at the other end of the house.

A hard blow from the side threw me into the wall and I saw stars for a second. Not wanting to waste time struggling, I pointed the gun at the shadowy shape above me and pulled the trigger. My reward was the meaty splat of blood and body parts hitting the wall. Without a sound, the man fell against the wall.

“Domino, get to Dani!” I sent the dog ahead. She took off like a flash in the darkness.

My ears were ringing so loudly I didn’t hear the man come up behind me. He grabbed me around the neck and started to walk me towards the door.

“I don’t have time for you!” I gritted out.

He grunted in surprise when I jammed my blade into his thigh. Letting go of my neck, he grabbed at his leg. I yanked the dagger out and shoved it into his chest before he could react. I took off at a sprint.

The smoke had cleared a bit by the time I made it to the living room. I saw Dec kicking the crap out of someone over by the couch. Dani screamed again and his head lifted up automatically. Her screams were punctuated by vicious barking. I nearly tripped over two sprawled bodies when I rounded the corner. Stumbling forward, I lurched into Sean. One look at his expression and I knew we had to move fast. Dani’s room was right in front of us now and I threw myself into the door before he could stop me. Sean and Killian were right behind me. The scene that greeted me was worse than a horror movie. Domino had pinned a very ugly demon against the wall, but he wasn’t alone. There was a man straddling Dani’s legs in the middle of the bed. He held a gleaming blade above him and was about to bring it down into Dani’s chest.

“No!” I screamed and threw myself at him.

The man vanished and the demon exploded with a loud whoosh. Domino’s barking cut off with a startled yelp. Confused, I looked for my prey, but he was gone.

Dec vaulted over me to get to Dani. Her eyes were black as she shrieked in mindless terror. Without bothering to check for wounds, he drew his hand over her face and her screaming stopped. She lay as quiet as the dead with eyes staring at nothing. Gently, he closed her eyes.

“God, Dani! Is she okay? Is she hurt?” I ran over to help. She was bleeding from several cuts on her arms but none seemed very deep. Her clothes were bunched and twisted around from her struggles. My heart sank and a cold fury took hold of me.

“So help me God, if they…”

Dec caught my gaze and looked at her bare midriff. He lightly ran his hand over her and shook his head slowly. “They didn’t.” He tugged her t-shirt back down and exhaled loudly.

“Animals! Monsters!” My voice rose with each syllable. “What is
wrong
with these people?” I swung around fully intending to kill anyone who was still alive in this house.