The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (54 page)

He turned to me and I couldn’t move. I stood there holding the knife in my hand but was unwilling to use it. My brain screamed at me to run, to fight, to scream, to do something. Instead of moving, I was paralyzed by my fear as wave after wave of memories crashed over me. He laughed obscenely and plucked the knife out of my hand. Then he pulled my arm behind my back until it snapped. I tried to scream but my voice was gone. Instead, I could only stare at him as he smiled lovingly into my eyes and broke my finger.

“I’m going to kill you this time and there’s no one to save you. Your Primani are being occupied at the moment. Oh, they’ll come back here looking for you in a bit. Sadly, it’ll be too late. You’ll be dead and I’ll be gone.”

He kissed my neck and broke another finger. I bit my lip and tried to recoil from him…from Sean’s face. His voice went on and on, but I retreated into my head where he couldn’t touch me. I huddled inside my mental room and prayed for a miracle.

Michael, Raphael? Someone? Anyone? Help me! Killian? I can’t fix this. He’s too strong. I can’t move. He’s breaking me into pieces…

Enraged at my lack of response, he slapped my face and yelled at me. From a distance, I saw his eyes change to slits as his mask slipped. Sean’s eyes were gone…that was better. I started to black out when someone spoke sharply to me. It was Raphael.

Mica! Pay attention!

He is the target of your anger. You know this! Don't hide from him. You have Killian’s powers. You must use them now or you will never be free of this demon.

No, I can’t. I can’t even move,
I thought, cringing further into the little room.

Yes, you can! Use Killian’s powers!

Rough fingers jerked my chin up and he slapped me again. “Wake up, bitch! I’m almost done. You don’t want to miss the finale.”

He was running out of patience with me. I was running out of fingers. I needed to make a decision. Could I use Killian’s powers? I pictured Killian’s face and knew he’d kill me himself if I didn’t at least try to defend myself. He’d know that I gave up and let this monster destroy me. Somehow, he’d know and he’d be furious. Did his anger matter to me? No, but his sacrifice mattered. He’d given me his blood to protect me. He’d given me his powers, too. But he’d taken them away…

Would it still work?

With great effort, I forced myself out of the little room that protected me and faced my demon head on. It helped that his eyes weren’t Sean’s anymore. The face was the same though and he smiled the same sexy smile that normally turned me into Jell-O. A rush of hatred curled up from my gut. I was just about sick of these games. I took inventory of my body. I thought my nose was broken and at least six of my fingers. My arm was broken again and my eye was swollen shut.

The bastard thought it was funny. He thought it was a game. Let’s see how long we can play with the stupid human before we kill her. Dressing up like Sean was just sick. That was seriously twisted and cruel. Raphael had to be right, didn’t he? If he was, I could stop this.

I was helpless once before, but things were different now.

I had a little help from Killian…

He ranted and raved while I stoked the white fire deep inside of me. I called to Killian's powers like I did before and felt them bubble through my blood.

Come to me.  Take over and make me stronger. Hurry!

The power had come slowly before, but this time it rushed to fill my veins. Surging into my muscles, it flowed like a tsunami into my heart.  My broken fingers vibrated even through the pain as the energy turned into raw power.  My vision went white and I saw clearly what was under the mask. He was hideous. Black scales covered sharp angular features.

He was nothing like my Sean.

Nothing like him!

His flimsy mask could never replace the real Sean. I embraced my rage and let it overwhelm me for once.

In a voice I didn’t recognize, I snarled, “You’re not him! You’ll never
be
him.”

Stunned, he stared stupidly at my mouth.

I felt his puppet-master control slipping and very deliberately raised my hand. He struggled to hold me in place, but I was stronger than him. With a slow smile, I raised one hand and then the other. He didn’t back away but he hesitated.

He should’ve run.

“I’ve had enough of you!” I blew off one of his arms. It landed without a sound in the snow. “You think you can tear me to pieces? You filthy piece of garbage!”

I blew off his hand.

His mind was racing as he tried to control me. He was still arrogant enough to think he would win this. After all, he could grow another body.

Advancing on him, I purred, “There won’t be enough of you left to squeeze into another body by the time I’m done with you.”

He took a step back and I raised my hand. He jerked to a stop like he’d backed into a wall. Terrified, he could only stare at me while his human mask crumbled away.

“Uh-oh! It looks like somebody can’t move.” 

Thanks, Killian!

With laser precision, I sliced off one piece at a time while cataloguing all of the horrors he’d put me through. “…and this is for breaking my nose. And this is for marking me. And this is for breaking my leg.”

Off went his nose, his shoulder, his leg...Oh, yes! This felt great!

After working my way through all of the things he’d done to me, I was panting with the effort of controlling the power that was raging through me. I was burning hot and my eyes felt molten. I was dangerously hot and needed to wrap this up. What was left of the demon lay on the ground staring up at me with resignation in his eyes. I almost felt sorry for him, for just a second. Almost.

Until I remembered his worst offense.

“And this is for dressing up like Sean and trying to seduce me.” I sliced him in half where his penis would be, if he had one. “You sick bastard.”

I wiped my hands on my pants, and said cheerfully, “Well, now. I feel a lot better.”

And with one final burst of power, he disintegrated into smoke.

Okay, now I was really hot. I sat down in the snow and rubbed a handful over my face and eyes. Of course it melted promptly, but it did cool me down. I did what Dec told me and closed my eyes and forced my temperature down. Once I wasn’t the same temperature as a road flare, I took a deep breath and stood up. I had to find Domino. With this thought in mind, I turned around to look for her. There in the trees were Sean and Dec.

Dec raised his hand in greeting and said, “Uh, nice work, Carrie!” Sean elbowed him in warning and he said innocently, “What? Did you see what she just did?”

“Where’s Domino? Have you seen her?” I didn’t have time for Stephen King humor.

“She’s alive. We just checked on her.”

“My poor baby!” I crossed to her and kissed her little face. She whimpered and licked my hand. “She’s hurt though. Give her to me.”

I still had Killian’s power running unchecked through me, but more importantly, I had the gift that Raphael had given me. Cradling her against me, I gave my fierce little warrior the last of my
saol
.

Suddenly drained, I sat down heavily. My legs just wouldn’t hold me up. Sean scooped me up and brought me into the house. I was a bloody mess again, so he sat me on a blanket to keep the couch clean.

I started to tell them what was broken and Sean held up a hand. His eyes glittered as he said, “Baby, I heard you down there. I know what’s broken.” Shaking with the force of his own fury, he struggled for calm. “I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me what he did to you?”

Shrugging tiredly, I said, “It would’ve just hurt you and there’s nothing you could’ve done. He used you like a weapon to torture me. He tried to make me forget he wasn’t you and…he was very convincing…He seemed so real to me. He’d hurt me and then try to seduce me to make the pain stop.  It was cruel…but I had a plan of my own. I retreated inside my head to hide from his seduction.”

The demon’s face swam in front of me and I shied away from the reminder. Shoving the image out of my head, I said fiercely,” I wouldn’t let him use you that way! If I’d let him touch me like that…” I left the thought unfinished and glanced down at my engagement ring. A lump in my throat nearly strangled me. Needing to feel him, I curled against his chest.

“God, it would’ve destroyed me. I’d never be able to love you again. Every time I looked at you, I would see him. I knew that. He knew that, too. That’s what he wanted. It was a game to him…So whenever I retreated, he broke something.”

“He never…forced you?” he asked in a calmer tone. Calm was relative at this point. He wasn’t about to go nuclear now though. That was better.

Shuddering at how close it had been, I said, “No, he didn’t. Apparently he wanted me conscious.” I tried to laugh but it sounded off. “I was unconscious a lot. You saw how many broken bones I had?”

Dec said, “That’s not funny, Mica! Don’t ever joke about this.” He took my broken fingers in his and healed them with tears of his own running down his face.

I sniffed and smiled. “We’re a mess. Look at us.”

Both guys sniffed and grumbled. Sean said, “I’d say the one person we love more than anyone being sadistically tortured and then having to kill the monster is a pretty good reason to be emotional. Don’t worry, it won’t happen next until we get married and then when we have our first beautiful baby. I get to cry then, right?”

“Absolutely.” I smiled tiredly at them both. “Do I have time for a nap before we go to dinner?”

“You still want to go out? Are you sure?”

“Are you kidding? It’s Christmas!”

“SO, YOUR DAD STILL doesn’t like me?” Sean scanned the price tag on the mirror and stuck it in the cart. He seemed irritated with this latest revelation about my family. Not that I could blame him, really. He’d been the perfect boyfriend and now fiancé. My dad just had no idea how many times he’d kept me alive…

I tried not to smile because I knew he was frustrated. To kill that urge, I pretended interest in the shelf of assorted nails and screws. Picking up a box that seemed to be the right size, I held it up for his inspection. I had no idea how nails worked…he took the box and tossed it into the cart.

“Well, it’s just that they don’t seem to remember how long we’ve known each other. It’s some kind of weird parental denial mechanism, I think. For some reason, they keep thinking we just met. It’s not that he doesn’t like you. He just thinks it’s too soon. And then there’s your
brother
, Dec.” I did crack a smile at the memory of my dad’s shocked face when Dec kissed me on Christmas morning. “I guess he’s a little too intense for Dad’s old-fashioned sensibilities.”

He snorted with half a laugh. “Yeah, sure. That’s totally it. Remind me to banish Dec when we get home.” He pointed the cart towards the checkout lines.

“Wait! We still need to get new kitchen curtains. Let’s see if they have any here.” I commandeered the cart and took off towards the other side of the Home Depot.

The house was a wreck and I had officially gotten tired of looking at it this morning and dragged Sean to the store.  The demons had attacked a week ago, leaving the house in ruins. I’d guilted my Primani into helping me clean up the next day, but the repairs had to wait until now. The three of us were busy with new assignments courtesy of our temporary leader, Sean. He and I had gone to The City to see Alex about the attack. After listening to Sean's report, Alex was angrier than I’d ever seen him before. He’d called Raphael in from wherever he exists.

When he saw me, he’d lit up with pleasure and taken my hands in his. He wasn’t really a hugger, but hand squeezing was an acceptable affectionate greeting. Hey, I took what I could get. I had the impression he was a high-level angel. I really should ask Sean about that one of these days. Seeing that Sean and Alex were deep in conversation, Raphael steered me into the beautiful kitchen for tea--Earl Gray to be exact. Out of deference to his considerable age, I fussed over him and made him the perfect cup of tea. I even scrounged up a box of cookies that smelled fresh.

“Did Alex get a new house manager?” I asked as I set out the tea things. “We’ve got new cookies.”

Spooning in a bit of sugar, he smiled fondly at me. “You, my dear, are very observant. You are quite right about both things. The new house manager’s name is Jonathan and he just went shopping today.” With impeccable manners, he served me the best cookies from the selection.

I’d wanted to see him badly since Christmas, and now that he was here I felt unsure. I knew what I wanted to say but the words didn’t seem quite right. So I blew on my tea and fiddled with my spoon until he gently pushed me to spit it out.

Blushing shyly, I said, “I have something for you. If you’ll accept it, that is.”

His dark eyebrows lifted in surprise but he nodded graciously. I went to my purse and pulled out a tiny wrapped gift. The paper was only a simple sky blue though. I hadn’t had time to decorate it for him. The gift, though, I made at the same time I’d made the others. Something had told me even then that I would continue to owe my survival to this kind being sipping tea with me. I sat it down on the table and put my hands in my lap so I could fidget privately.

“Raphael, I have no words to thank you properly. It seems I am to be forever seeking your help.” I smiled shyly and added, “I hope you like it. I made it for you.”

His face was carefully blank as he considered first my words and then the tiny box. Seeming to decide that gifts were acceptable, he un-wrapped the box. Inside was a tiny glass heart encircled by strands of beaten silver and gold. The result was a shimmering halo protecting the blood-red stone. The pendant was strung on a braided chain of silver and gold. The chain wasn’t heavy but I thought it was masculine enough. It had taken me three weeks to get the pendant right. The halo wasn’t perfectly shaped. It listed a little to the right…Maybe it’s not good enough for him. I should’ve started over again. He hadn’t said anything yet. He must hate it. I dug my nails into my hand waiting for him to say something. Instead, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Unable to stand the silence, I apologized awkwardly. “I’m being presumptuous, aren’t I? I’m so sorry if I’ve offended you.” I reached for the box intending to take it back. “I’ll just get it out of your way…”

He laid his hand on top of mine and said with feeling, “No! It’s quite beautiful.” He smiled wistfully. “Do you know that I’ve never had a Christmas present before?”

Completely surprised, I blurted, “How is that possible? You’re so amazing. That’s terrible!”

Chuckling, he squeezed my hand gently. “Mica, my dear, you are such a beautiful soul! I will wear your gift proudly if you’ll just show me how to put it on.”

Sean and Alex walked in just as I fastened the clasp for him. Alex and Raphael exchanged a look that caused him to peer closely at the pendant.

Alex joked, “Why Raphael, I do believe Mica’s given you her heart!” He nudged Sean and laughed, “Competition, son!”

I stood back and warily eyed the trunk of the Camaro. There was no way that mirror was going to fit. I’d mentioned that twice already, but the male circling the car had other ideas. I could imagine the wheels turning as he cocked his head and used his hands to measure out the size of the trunk. Refusing to admit defeat, he switched his focus to the back seat. I tapped my boot impatiently. There’s no way the mirror will fit in that back seat. Rolling my eyes, I shifted the bag to my other hand.

“I’ve got it. We’ll just take it out of the cardboard. It’ll fit then.” Energized by the brilliance of his plan, he quickly tore the protective cardboard away from the mirror and slid it into the trunk. It just fit although one edge was dangerously close the lid.

I had a bad feeling about this.

Cheerfully peeling out of the parking lot, Sean gave me a smug look of male righteousness and turned up the radio. The ride was uneventful until he pulled into the driveway. There had always been a slight dip from the road into the driveway and the heavy snow had made it worse because we now had ruts to deal with. As the car bounced over the ruts, a loud crash came from the vicinity of the trunk.

Groaning with irritation, I looked over at him and said, “Seven years.”

Puzzled, he asked, “Seven years, what?”

Pointing at the shattered mirror, I hung my head muttering, “Dude.”

I left him to deal with the mess and toted the plastic bags through the front door. The rich meaty smell of chili greeted me. Yay! Dec was back.

And cooking!

“Dec? That smells amazing!” I went straight to the kitchen to sample it.

The chef was loosely bouncing a hacky sack in one hand as I walked in the room. Ignoring me, he tossed the soft ball to Domino who leaped and neatly caught it with her front teeth. She pranced around in a victory dance before bringing it back to him. When he reached for it, she shook her head and backed just out of his grasp. He laughed and lunged for her. Anticipating this move, the dog launched herself over his back and bolted to my side. With mock fury, Dec circled the two of us and finally tackled Domino. After a mad wrestling match complete with un-angelic swearing and yelps of indignation, Dec emerged covered with scratches and not a few bite marks.

The dog kept possession of the hacky sack.

“All right, all right! I give up. You win.” He waggled a finger at her and said, “You cheated. I’ll get you next time.”

Domino dropped the slimy wet object at my feet and sashayed to her water bowl.
Whatever…

“You might want to wash those scratches out. I hear dogs carry a lot of nasty diseases on their feet. They’re not too clean, you know.”

Domino turned to me with narrowed eyes.
Excuse me?

I corrected diplomatically, “You don’t wear shoes, ergo, your feet are dirty.”  Turning back to Dec, “I’d wash them out if I were you.  Did you hear any news while we were out?”

Dec was supposed to try to contact Killian while we were shopping. He sucked air between his teeth as running water flowed over the scratches on his forearm. Focusing only vaguely on his arm, he filled me in on his morning. Unfortunately, Killian was off the grid, but he had heard something strange on the local morning news.

“Shae’s Funeral Home reported two corpses stolen this week,” he said.

“Shae’s? Is that local?”

He shook his head and elaborated for me. “It’s down near Albany. And that’s not the only thing. I remembered what Killian said about bringing back the dead and a light bulb went off. I called Jonathan and asked him to snoop through local police reports around The City and…” He paused to perform a drum roll on the marble island top.

Rolling my eyes, I tapped my fingers and stared at him. He gave in first and leaned across the island with barely suppressed excitement.

Oh, this was going to be good.

“This is really bizarre; you’ll like this. The police found a man roaming around a neighborhood in Queens. The neighbors thought he was drunk and called the cops. When they got there, the guy was staggering in someone’s yard. They tried to talk to him, but he was really out of it. They were about to tase him when he fell over.”

“What’s bizarre about that? Was he on experimental drugs or something?”

“Not even close. Here’s the good part. They called an ambulance because he was out cold. The paramedic nearly had a heart attack when they got him inside and got a good look at him.”

A tingle of premonition made me shiver. I know what he's going to say next. I wasn’t going to like this.  Sean walked in and started to say something. We both shushed him and he clamped his mouth shut with a frown. Waving a hand at Dec, I said, “Spit it out.”

“The guy was visibly dead. As in, like, rigor-mortis-and-gray-chalky-skin dead. No pulse and squishy, smelly tissue…clouded eyeballs, etc.”

Red lights and alarm bells clamored loudly inside my head and I could tell by their expressions that they came to the same conclusion I had…

Zombies.

Holy shit.

No one said a word until the timer on the stove went off with a loud beep. I nearly swallowed my tongue and dropped my glass. The shattering glass, on top of the abrasive beeping, finally broke through the collective shock in the kitchen. Everyone moved at once. Dec turned to the stove to check the chili while Sean and I bent to clean up the glass.

“Wow,” I said finally.

Sean’s expression was mocking as he half-heartedly swept up glass shards. “That’s not the word I’d use, but it’ll do.” He dumped the glass into the trash and looked at the two of us. “We’re going to have to call for reinforcements. This is much bigger than Dagin’s greed. He’s lost his mind. Humans aren’t ready for the zombie apocalypse.”

“Are we?” I had to ask.

Dec wielded the chef’s knife he used to cut up the vegetables for the chili and proclaimed, “I’m ready! Let’s go kick some undead ass!”

Unable to resist, I picked up a mallet. “Sure, why not? I’m in!” We both stared at Sean with identical expressions of blood lust until he finally rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.

“And you used to be so innocent.”

It was nearing 10:00 and I finally leaned back and stretched. We’d been talking over possibilities for hours and had drawn up plans and to-do lists. I’d somehow become the secretary and dutifully typed up our brainstorming notes. We’d come about as far as we could on our own and would have to talk to Killian and Alex to get help. After all, Manhattan wasn’t really our jurisdiction. There were other Primani who were supposed to be keeping it safe. But because of our past experience with Dagin’s operations and Killian’s
Sgaine Dutre
, we expected to play a big role in finding the source of the zombies and taking Dagin out once and for all. I took advantage of a lull in their conversation to point out that it’s New Year’s Eve and we, at least I, was young and should be out celebrating.

Always up for a night out around humans, Dec agreed with me. Sean didn’t really want to go out, but agreed we could check in on Dani on the way. Throwing him a kiss, I ran to the bedroom to throw something pretty on. Twenty minutes later I walked into the living room and both of them stopped talking to stare. Twirling for the full effect, I stopped and waited with dramatically downcast eyes. My dress settled at the top of my thighs and had no back at all. My front, er, assets, were completely covered by the high collar. I wore a black and red tribal cuff on one arm and my engagement ring on the opposite hand. The thigh-high leather boots provided assurance that I’d be steady on my feet if any demons attacked.  Peeking up at Sean, I winked and he broke into a huge grin.

Sighing dramatically, he said, “I’m going to have to kill somebody later, aren’t I?”

Dec laughed and agreed. “Dude, I can almost guarantee it.”