The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (86 page)

“Guinness?” Sean signaled the bartender and scanned the tiny bar for trouble. No demons. Good. He was thirsty and his eye was twitching again. It was making him nuts. He wanted a few minutes to regroup without having to blow anything up.

“Bud Light. Will that work?”

Indifferent, Sean shrugged, “Sure, why not?”

He took a seat at the farthest end of the bar away from a couple of obnoxious idiots who were yelling at the flat screen. The Yankees were losing. They weren’t taking it well.

The bartender wiped down the peeling vinyl countertop, eyeing the black-haired Irishman with suspicion. This one was trouble, he thought to himself. His eyes were creepy, watchful. He was edgy, tense, and spoiling for a fight. The bartender had seen men like this before…they had nothing to lose. After hanging up the towel, he took stock of who was in the bar tonight. He didn’t need any trouble here. He was still trying to recover from a storm that had closed him down for months. He couldn’t afford to close his doors for anything else. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he relaxed. The place was empty of the usual troublemakers.

He spoke too soon.

The Romano brothers, Mario and Joey, burst through the door, hollering for drinks. The boys were big, loud, and already drunk. The Irishman’s eyes narrowed with a gleam.

“If you’re here for trouble, take it outside,” the bartender warned.

Sean tipped back his beer and lifted an eyebrow. The bartender stiffened. Sean held up a hand and said, “I’m just here for a drink. No worries, man.”

Not completely convinced, the bartender left him alone and Sean drank his beer in peace. Lost in thought, he carefully peeled the labels from the beer bottle. He’d done a good thing today. He thought of Luc’s ice blue eyes and sighed. He was just a little boy. How could someone kill him? It boggled his mind, but mostly it pissed him off.

Humans liked to
think
they were civilized…some were…many,
too
many, were worse than animals. Animals killed for survival…they ate each other. Sometimes they killed the weak to preserve the pack. It was survival of the fittest to further their species. That was nature; he could understand that.

Humans didn’t
need
to kill. They just enjoyed the feeling.

What the fuck? Why was he running around protecting them? Sometimes he just didn’t get it. Maybe he should leave them to figure it out on their own. God only knew how long it would take for humans to be overrun by demons if the Primani walked away.

The more he thought about it, the more that sounded like a plan. Why the hell not?

The jukebox was playing in the background and Sean listened with half an ear. He’d been eyeing the two dark-haired men who’d come in earlier. There was something about them that bothered him. He nursed his beer and rubbed at his eye. The twitching was getting worse and a dull pain throbbed behind it. He didn’t have time for pain. He had things to do. “Kryptonite” was playing on the jukebox. How appropriate, he thought with a snort. The words could’ve come from his own head…Would she still love him if she saw him now: Drifting alone…hunting for trouble? He was careless with his life like it didn’t matter. To him, it really didn’t. But the woman would lose her mind if she saw him now. She’d be crazy with worry and pissed off as hell. Would he still be her hero? Who was he kidding? He wasn’t anybody’s hero. Wincing, he closed his eyes and counted to ten. A woman’s face hovered just behind his eyes…frowning, angry…vaguely familiar. Damn woman! Go away, witch! Irritated, he slammed the bottle down making the bartender jump.

“Hey, man, you’re not gonna puke, are you?”

Sean’s head snapped up at the interruption, his hand automatically going for his gun. When he saw it was just the bartender, he lowered his hand.

The bartender reconsidered him. There was something wrong with this guy. He’d been rubbing his temples and squinting for the past few minutes. His face was losing color and his eyes didn’t look quite right. He peered closer and realized one pupil was nearly gone.

Before Sean could answer, a woman leaned against the bar and ordered a drink. She had big green eyes that filled her delicate, elfin face. Waves of heavy black hair spilled down her back causing her head to tip back slightly. Shiny red lips curled into a sweet smile as she waited for her drink. Despite the pain in his head, Sean eyed her with interest. She was a pretty little thing.

“For fifty bucks, you can undress me with more than your eyes,” she said. Her long red nails rested lightly on the back of his hand. She sipped her drink and peered up at him from lowered lashes.

Sean’s eyes went flat but he smiled tightly and said, “Sorry, darlin’, I don’t pay for sex.”

Leaning closer, she trailed one finger down the front of his chest and rested it on the button of his jeans. Letting it linger, she said huskily, “I can take you places you’ve never been.”

“Like the free clinic?” He removed her hand and added, “You seem like a smart girl. Why don’t you get a real job? Maybe use your brain?”

“Fuck you, asshole!” She turned and sashayed to the other end of the bar.

Sean shook his head. Such a waste, he thought. Pretty girl, nice body, not too dumb…But she was perfectly content selling herself for cash. No self-respect…how did that happen? What pushed her down this path? He ordered one last beer and drank it while watching the hooker make her rounds at the tables. These men were rough, dirty, and crude. Yet she flirted with them like they were movie stars. Some men turned her down flatly, as he had. Others groped her a bit before turning her down. One man asked to see her breasts and laughed when she got mad. Another lifted her skirt up and shoved his hand between her legs. That’s it. I’m outta here, Sean thought. It made him sick to watch. These people were disgusting. He chugged the rest of his beer and stood to leave. The room tilted and he planted his feet to steady himself.

Before he could make it to the door, he spotted one of the loud drunks tugging the girl towards the back entrance. He gripped her by the elbow and propelled her along. Something in the way he controlled her sent a warning bell off in Sean’s head. His body language wasn’t right. He didn’t act like a man who was planning to get laid. As Sean followed them with his eyes, the brother joined them. He wrapped an arm around her and said something in her ear. She stiffened and dug in her heels. Laughing, the two easily pulled her along between them.

The bartender watched the scene play out. He knew the second the Irishman made up his mind. You poor bastard. Reaching below the bar, he loaded the shotgun and slugged a shot of bourbon. This night was about to get more interesting.

Sean left through the front door but circled around to the back. Moving like a shadow, scanning the darkness, he pointedly ignored the pounding in his head. He picked up the men’s voices as they bullied the woman.

“Oh, come on, Gina. We’re gonna pay you.”

“No! I don’t want to. Let me go!” she cried out as the sound of a slap echoed in the darkness. She fell to her knees with blood pouring from her nose. Joey, the taller brother, dragged her to her feet and tore her blouse down the middle.

“Now this is how I like my hookers…bloody and pathetic.”

Without warning, Sean tackled Joey from the side. Caught by surprise, he toppled like a tree. Sean punched him in the face once before the other one grabbed his arms from behind and dragged him backwards. Moving on autopilot, Sean twisted away and kicked Joey hard in the stomach. He doubled over, sucking air. Sean turned back to hit him again when his vision blurred and he lost his balance. Sensing weakness, Mario, the younger brother, grabbed him around the waist trying to hold him in place.

Even dizzy, Sean was much more powerful. He threw him off, sending him sprawling to the ground. Before he could move out of the way, Joey rushed him and punched him hard in the temple. His head exploded in pain and his vision went black. Staggering to the side, he blinked frantically but his eyes saw nothing.

“Hold him up, Mario. I’m just gettin’ started.”

Austrian Border:

THE SKY WAS BEGINNING TO LIGHTEN as he pulled the McLaren into a highway center just over the Austrian border. Killian parked his baby in an empty slot near the entrance to the building. It was deserted at this time of day, but he wanted to be able to see the car. It didn’t hurt to be careful. Stretching his arms out, he flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders. He was tired of sitting already, but the trip couldn’t be helped. They needed wheels and he wasn’t leaving the McLaren in Romania just to get to London faster. They had time to drive back; a day or two wouldn’t matter at this point. He turned to Mica and studied her. She lay sleeping in her seat. Poor girl was drained and he felt a pang of guilt.

Her head was turned towards him, her beautiful eyes moving restlessly under pale lids. Her mouth twitched at the corners and he smiled in spite of himself. She was breathtaking. He never got the chance to just look at her. She was always in motion…refusing to sit still long enough for him to look his fill. Now wasn’t really a good time either. He sighed and looked at the clock. There was still so much to do. She’d asked him to wake her for a bathroom break, but he couldn’t bear to do it.  He’d let her rest a few more minutes. He owed her that much.

When would it be over?

Raphael hinted it would be soon. But
soon
for the archangels was a relative word. It could be this week or a thousand years from now! Please, God, make it be soon! He closed his eyes and saw her as she looked so long ago. The shape of her face was a bit different perhaps, but those eyes were the same.

Her heart was the same.

And it still beat for his.

It was a miracle.

When he had realized who she was, he’d nearly lost his mind. He had held himself back to keep from scaring her off, but the truth was he’d wanted to throw her up in the air and shout with joy. He’d wanted to hold her against him and run away to a place without angels and demons. He’d wanted to wrap himself around her and protect her from the world. He’d wanted to beat the shit out of Sean and pretend she didn’t care about him.

He had wanted her to
live
…

“Sean!” In one quick motion, she jerked upright shrieking, “They’re killing him! Killing him!” Her pupils were black, her hands clawed at his arm.

“Where? Where is he?”

Hysterical now, she cried, “I can’t tell! I can’t tell! They’re killing him!”

Grabbing her hand, he slipped into her mind to share the vision. It played like a horror movie. The bloody scene could’ve been anywhere…where was he? Come on…show me something I can use…

There! That’s it!

Brooklyn, New York:

They rematerialized seconds later, with weapons drawn and eyes blazing. The smell of blood was overwhelming as soon as they landed. Mica inhaled sharply. Killian swung his eyes left then right and zeroed in on Sean. Two men had him spread out between them and were taking turns kicking him. Sean’s body jerked with the impact, but he was too far gone to move. Judging by the blood pool under his head, they’d been at it for a while. Were they too late?

A wave of fury swamped him so hard and so fast, he roared like a crazed demon. A bolt of lightning hit the building and sent chunks of brick flying like shrapnel. The alley was suddenly filled with a blinding white light; both humans froze and turned away from Sean. They took one look at what was waiting for them and started to back away.

Moving with inhuman speed, Killian snatched Joey by the shoulder and threw him into the wall. The wall cracked and collapsed from the force. Joey slid to the ground under a shower of bricks and mortar. He didn’t move. Killian pointed his Sig at the man and shot him between the eyes. Oh God, please make Sean be alive!

Sean’s pulse was there, but barely. He was bleeding too much. “Come on, brother. Hang in there, we’re gonna get you home.” He rubbed Sean’s cold hand in between his.

While Killian had been busy with Joey, he’d kept his awareness focused on Mica in case he needed to step in. He should’ve known better. She was just fine without him. Mica grabbed the other man and threw him over a garbage can into the ground. He’d gotten up smirking when he saw she was a woman.

Until she started to glow.

Mica’d gone road flare with rage. Her powers lit her up like a nuclear explosion.

The stupid human backed away with his hands spread out in a gesture of peace as if he could calm her! Killian ground his teeth with a fresh urge to kill.

The man’s hands were covered in blood.

Sean’s blood.

Mica went ballistic. She charged him with a howl that echoed in the alley. He tripped and fell on his ass. She tackled him and punched him in the face, smashing his nose. With eyes blazing like twin stars, she jammed the barrel of her gun into his mouth. He started to beg, mumbling and crying incoherently.

“You want mercy? Like you showed my friend here?”

To Killian, she asked, “Is he dead? Tell me he’s not dead!”

“Almost. Finish that garbage so we can get out of here.”

The scumbag grabbed her leg, pleading, “No, no, please don’t kill me! Don’t!”

“Death is a blessing.” She shot him between the eyes and stepped back to see a man’s horrified face peering through the crumbled bricks. Nodding at him, she re-holstered the Sig and let her eyes smolder.

The bartender slowly lowered his shotgun and crossed himself.

Seconds later, they had Sean in the penthouse. While Killian carried him to an empty bed, Mica shouted for Raphael.

“Raphael! It’s urgent! Please hurry!!”

Running back to Sean’s side, she leaned into his ear and said, “Sean? I know you can hear me. Hang on, baby! Please don’t go. We’re going to fix you.” Her words ended with a sob.

His eyes were swollen shut and he was too still. His chest barely rose with breath. She glared at the walls.

“Those bastards! We didn’t kill them right. It should’ve been slower!” Mica was pacing to release the extra power she carried. Her fingertips were still glowing and her heat was making Killian sweat.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was trying to keep it together. He had to give her props for that. Sean was a train wreck; it wasn’t easy for her to see. Although he’d seen worse over the centuries, this was ripping his guts out. This was Sean, his Primani brother. His life mattered more to him than all the others he’d patched up after battles. How the hell did a couple of humans get the jump on him? Sean was impossible to catch.

He ran his hands above Sean’s body trying to see where he was hurt. Hmm, a couple of broken ribs…internal bleeding? From what though? Spleen? Ripped aorta? He wasn’t a doctor; he wasn’t even a good healer. He had minor healing talent, but that was it. They needed Raphael for the serious damage.

A slight change in air pressure announced Raphael’s arrival. Thank God! With a curt nod of greeting, he nudged Killian out of the way and began working on Sean. He closed his eyes and sat silently for a moment. After peeling open each of Sean’s eyelids, he sat back and sunk into thought. Tapping his fingers against his leg, he held out his hand. A small black satchel appeared out of thin air. Mica jumped as it landed in his palm.

Killian frowned. Oh, damn, this isn’t good.

He pulled Mica towards the door saying, “You don’t need to see this.”

She dug in her heels at Sean’s side. “I won’t leave him, damn it! I promised him I’d be here. I promised!” She yanked her hand out of Killian’s and went back to the bedside. She latched onto his hand and rubbed it between her own.

“Sean, Raphael’s here. He’s going to help you. Hang on. No floating!”

Raphael held a small drill in his hand. The tiny bit gleamed in the bedroom light. “Mica, my child, you don’t want to see this.”

“I’ll stay out of the way. I just need to be here…for him. I promised.” Her voice cracked and tears streamed over her cheek.

Raphael considered her plea and nodded. “Sit over there, you can hold his hand. It might comfort him.”

Killian stood behind her and squeezed Sean’s shoulder as well. Come on, brother! You’ve got to hold on. We need you back. At the first high-pitched whine of the drill, blood spattered like red mist and Mica buried her face into his shoulder. Holding her against him, Killian prayed for Sean to pull through. They couldn’t lose him too.

Shaking her gently, Killian brought Mica back to the present, “Babe? Raphael’s done with the surgery. He’s going to finish healing him now.”

She kissed Raphael’s cheek and told him he was amazing. He smiled at her and said, “I’ve been known to pull off a miracle here and there. Would you be a good nurse and get some water and towels? We should clean him up while he’s still asleep.”

Sean’s clothes were covered in blood, his hair was matted with it, and his face and hands were splattered with it. He looked like he’d been spray painted.

Saluting smartly, she raced out of the room. Killian watched her go with darkened eyes. Raphael continued working on Sean but asked pointedly, “How is she?”

“Physically, she’s doing better. She’s finally regained all the weight she lost and her strength as well.” He lowered his voice. “You should’ve seen her tonight. She was perfect! She was furious but she stayed in control and didn’t give in to her urge to crush that maggot like a bug. She only punched him once and then executed him. It was a clean kill and not traceable back to our world. Her control is growing stronger every day.” And that was important if she was going to keep her powers. She couldn’t be allowed to keep them if she didn’t use them responsibly.

“And emotionally? How is she coping with all that’s happened?”

He turned to the window and ran a hand over his jaw. “She’s dealing with it, but you have to know that she’d be better if Dec was with us. I see her staring into space when she thinks I’m not looking. She’s missing him.” He frowned and added, “I’m worried about one thing though. I don’t know if she’ll ever recover from the hoard of demons that attacked her at the farmhouse. She froze up completely in Romania. We almost didn’t make it out of there. It was very close.”

“Well, that’s to be expected, my friend.” He glanced up from realigning one of Sean’s ribs and said, “I have complete faith in your ability to heal those particular wounds.”

Killian’s gut clenched at the unspoken promise in those words and he was grateful for the foreshadowing. He peered at Sean’s face and was relieved to see normal color appearing in his cheeks. The swelling was almost gone and the bruises were fading. He was going to make it. Automatically, he took Sean’s fingers in his hand and slowly boosted his
saol
with his own. It was second nature to him after all these years. There were a lot of close calls throughout the millennia. He’d lost track of how many times they’d saved each other’s lives.

“He looks almost human again!” Mica exclaimed from the doorway.

“He always looks
almost
human,” Killian said with a slight smile.

Raphael stood up and stretched elegantly. His kind eyes were lined and shadowed with fatigue. He’d had to pour his heart and soul, literally, into Sean to save him. He was exhausted and needed to find his bed.

“I’m not going to stay until he wakes up. But Killian, you must pass on a message for me. When he argues with you about what he should do, tell him that I said he must do as you say. He’ll hate that, but you’ll know what to do. I know you will guide him as I would.” He reached out and clasped Killian’s hand with a smile.

“Thank you again, Raphael,” Mica said. Standing up on her toes, she kissed his cheek and said, “I love you; get some rest!”

With a fond glance at Mica, he winked at Killian and vanished.

Killian kissed Mica’s pouting lips and slipped quietly from the sheets. She smiled in her sleep and mumbled his name. The sound of it started a small fire low in his gut and he marveled at the feeling. Looking down, he thought, again? He started to reach for her and stopped. His lust would have to wait. She needed to rest and he had other important things to do.

When he pushed open the door, he was surprised to find Sean sitting up in the bed. Sean had been staring off into space but blinked when Killian walked in. His eyes were clear and focused as he turned around.

Taking a second to clap him on the shoulder in brotherly affection, Killian asked, “Do you want company?”

“Not really. But you’re not really asking, are you?”

Killian pulled up a chair and sat. “Not really, no. Here’s the thing. Raphael told me you’ve been bleeding inside your thick skull for days. He mentioned an old injury. Now, Mica already told me about the rollover…so, my assumption is you got hurt in the wreck and decided to be a dumb ass and not heal yourself.”

Sean stiffened at the insult and looked away.

“How am I doing so far?” Killian’s angry tone left no room for argument.

“I don’t answer to you.”

Killian spun Sean around. Nose to nose, he snapped, “You answer to your family! Damn it! You owe us that much.” He backed off a little but continued, “Do you think you’re the only Primani who ever questioned things? Lost faith? Made mistakes?”