She’d been at a loss when her friend had disappeared, and that was when Giovanni had found her. At the time, she hadn’t realized how standoffish she was, but it hadn’t seemed to faze the older Italian man. She’d become the person she was today because of her childhood, or lack thereof, and she wasn’t about to lament about it. She didn’t need to rely on anyone. She only answered to herself.
Krysta was strong and independent, and didn’t need or want to rely on another human being, not ever, because she always ended up all alone again. She had her books to keep her mind occupied as well as her little hobby when she had any spare cash and time to help out.
None of the homeless people she fed ever saw the real person she kept hidden under her silent reticent persona. Plus, she always snuck into the abandoned warehouses with the food and blankets, making sure to stay quiet until she was on her way out. The people squatting in the abandoned buildings had learned that the three bangs on the walls as she was leaving meant that they could fill their bellies with a good meal and cover their cold bodies with a clean blanket.
She’d been where they were once and knew what it was like to go without. To be so hungry and cold and wonder if it wouldn’t be better to just die, but she’d never given in. For that she was thankful, because now her life had a purpose. To rid the world of the evil that roamed the night seeking to destroy the innocent.
Krysta pushed her introspection aside and glanced at the clock on the wall of her tiny kitchen. It was just after midnight and time for her to get her ass into gear. She hurried to her bedroom, stripping the robe and sleep shirt from her body before donning comfortable worn black jeans and a soft cotton T-shirt. After pulling her black boots on she entered the bathroom, brushed her red hair, braided it, and walked back into her bedroom. She grabbed the black beanie from the side table and pulled it over her head, tucking any stray strands of hair up into the stretchy hat.
Once she checked herself in the mirror to make sure none of her hair was showing, she moved to the kitchen, grabbed her cell phone, made sure it was on silent mode, and shoved it into her pocket. She swiped her keys from the counter, grasped hold of the sword handle, and headed out.
She was going hunting and hoped that she didn’t encounter too many of the evil shadows in one group, but she had a feeling that she would. Those evil shadows seemed to be more and more active and Krysta had a feeling it was only going to get worse before it got better.
She just hoped she survived the night.
* * * *
Weni glanced over at Mitry as they prepared for another night of fighting evil. His gut was churning but not with dread. If he had to explain what he was feeling he thought the word he’d use would be excitement. There was an air of expectancy surrounding him and no matter how he tried to quell it, it wouldn’t budge. He had no idea why he felt the way he did but hoped to find out soon enough.
“Are you ready?” Mit asked.
Wen nodded.
“Then let’s go meet the others in the kitchen and head out.” Mit spun on his heels and walked toward the door to the apartment they shared.
Wen drew a deep breath and released it quietly, hoping his best friend didn’t hear it, but he should have known better.
Mit stopped in the open doorway of their home and when Wen was close enough reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I feel it, too.”
Wen arched an eyebrow. “Do you know what it is?”
Mit lowered his hand as he shook his head. “No, but I have a feeling we’ll find out before the night is over.”
“Me, too. I just hope we don’t encounter too many of the demonic.”
“I don’t like our chances,” Mit said as he and Wen walked along the corridor toward the kitchen dining room in the underground, underwater refuge. “The shadow demons are more active now than they’ve ever been.”
“True enough. I wish Ra would appear and answer all our questions, but he’s been very inconspicuous of late.”
“I know. Me, too, but I’m sure he’ll tell us what we need to know when we need to know it.”
Wen nodded at Mit as they entered the room to find the other sentinels and their mates ready and waiting. He was intrigued by the three women who stood close to the large table with their eyes closed and hands connected. Those three women made the other sentinels so happy and while he was a little envious of the obvious love they had for their mates, he had also become good friends with the women. He’d never met such kind, loving people besides his comrades in arms.
The other six sentinels had barely stopped smiling once they mated and transformed the women to be as they were. They were all demigods and had long years ahead of them to love and live together.
Wen knew his and Mit’s time would come when they would meet the woman meant to be their mate, but it was hard being patient when he and his best friend had been alone for nearly five thousand years. It was becoming more and more difficult to watch the loving interaction between the other sentinels and their mates. He found himself walking away from them time and time again as envy pierced his heart. He and Mit had been spending more and more time ensconced in their rooms so they didn’t have to witness the love shining between the others. Not because it was a sickening sight but because of the jealousy he experienced.
With a quiet sigh, Wen pushed his introspection to the back of his mind. They were about to go out into the night to rid the world of evil and he needed to keep his mind in the game. The last thing he wanted was to get injured because he had let his mind wander.
“We need to go to Nevada,” Zara said when she opened her eyes and released the other women’s hands.
“Where?” Set asked his mate as he closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms.
Wen looked away from them and met Mit’s gaze. His friend didn’t change his expression but he knew Mit was as eager to get out and fight as he was.
“Shoshone Mountain,” Nina answered.
“The pull is very strong,” Lavinia said. “We need to hurry.”
“Why there?” Mit turned to look at Lavinia. “No one lives on the mountain.”
“I don’t know, maybe someone is camping there, but we need to leave now.” Men and En glared at Mit and Wen as they moved to stand close to their mate. Lavinia looked up at her men and then slapped both of their stomachs with the back of her hands. “Knock it off, Mit asked a valid question.”
Set, Sab, and Zara took the lead from the room and along the sloping hallway into the beach house, which was the entrance to their home base. There was actually only one real room to the house but they needed to keep up appearances to fool the human population.
As Wen stepped out the double metal front doors to the home, he pulled them closed behind him and breathed in the clean crisp air.
Goose bumps formed on his arms and he had to work hard to suppress the shiver that raced up his spine.
This night wasn’t going to end the same as the others, of that he was sure, and even though he was full of trepidatious excitement, he wished he knew why.
Krysta got out of her car and stared at the walking track. She didn’t know how long it would take her to get to the top but she couldn’t shake the urge that that was where she was meant to be. Usually when she was searching out the shadows all she needed to do was stand still and they would come to her, but the compulsion to grab her sword from the backseat of her car and begin walking was so strong she couldn’t ignore it.
With a sigh of resignation, she withdrew her sword, making sure the steel blade didn’t touch any part of her body and after locking her car and pocketing her keys, she headed off. It was hard going because of the dark with no streetlights, and while it was only a half-moon the illumination was just enough for her to make her way up the track without running into anything. She wished she could use a flashlight but to do so would draw attention to herself and it would take her time to adjust to the lack of light once she had to drop it so she could fight the demons. She always carried a large hunting knife with her which had also been doused in holy water and was currently in the sheath belted at her hip. Again, she’d learned the hard way that having as many weapons on her person as possible was a detriment to her own safety.
It didn’t take her as long as she expected to reach the top of the track and she turned, taking in what she could see of the view, which wasn’t much since it was so dark. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and then stood on end. There was none of the normal sounds she expected to hear of small animals rustling in the foliage and that gave her the creeps. She could feel a slight breeze on her face but she couldn’t hear the leaves swishing as the slight wind moved the branches and vegetation.
Krysta shivered and her nose twitched when she caught the slight stench of sulfur. She continued to turn slowly in a circle, squinting through the darkness, looking for the shadows she knew were on their way. Movement in her periphery had her turning fast and when she saw the large mass of shadows moving toward her, she relaxed her stance and gripped the hilt of her sword firmly while drawing the large hunting knife from the leather sheath on her hip.
As the black wispy mass got closer, it began to separate and Krysta’s stomach knotted with dread. There had to be at least a hundred shadow demons coming toward her and she had a feeling she wouldn’t be alive to see the sun rise. She wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. She wanted to curse the gods for allowing evil to run rampant terrorizing and hurting her fellow humans, but that wouldn’t resolve the situation she was in.
She drew in a deep breath of resignation and firmed her determination to take out as many of the evil demons as she could. Krysta lifted her sword up high, and as soon as the shadows were close enough she began slashing through them with her blade and her knife. Pain seared into her back where the shadows came at her from behind, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. A fleeting thought of the other beings she’d seen fighting the evil shadows flashed through her mind, and she wished that they would appear from out of nowhere like they had that night, to help her fight off the shadows. It would be really good right now to have someone to fight alongside her and at her back but she guessed it just wasn’t meant to be.
When she felt something warm trickle down her back, she knew she was bleeding. Her arms were so tired from the constant movement of cutting through the shadows they were burning and shaking and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep going.
A howl of rage and pain left her mouth when the shadows seemed to wrap around her body, locking her arms to her sides so she could no longer fight them off. She didn’t even realize she was falling until her knees slammed into the rocky ground, pulling a cry of agony from deep in her chest.
However, it wasn’t the pain of landing hard on her knees that hurt so excruciatingly. It was the constant tugging of demons at her chest that hurt the most. There were countless unseen hands pulling at the very essence of her soul and she felt as if she was being ripped apart.
A flash of movement to the right caught her eye and she moved her eyes to see what other evil was stalking her, and then she blinked with shocked awe as she saw them striding toward her.
The other beings who had also fought the shadows were walking toward her, fighting off the shadows as they moved. The closer they got the harder it was for Krysta to focus.
Then something really strange happened. The eight men surrounded the three women, keeping the shadows from getting near them as they struck out at the evil with their sickle-shaped swords.
The women formed a circle, joining hands, and then they began to glow.
Krysta blinked, trying to focus her blurry vision and just as she fell to the ground on her back the glow coming from the women was so bright she had to close her eyes. Her body was so weak and heavy when she tried to open her eyes it was a real effort to pry them open to small slits. The pain in her body was agony but she couldn’t draw a full breath to fill her lungs so she could scream.
A huge flash of light blinded her and she wondered if she was dying. The pain in her body dulled down to a low throb. It took her a few moments to realize that the shadows were no longer wrapped around her, and that her eyes were closed once more.
When she felt a light touch on her shoulder, she reacted instinctively and immediately. Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword in a firmer grip and although she was surprised she still held the weapon in her hand, she tried to lift it to ward off her attacker but she was just too weak. Krysta suspected that blood loss was the reason she felt so bad but she couldn’t give up yet, not until she had no breath left in her body.
“Easy.” The timbre of the voice was deep and crooning as if trying to soothe and comfort.
Krysta struggled to push her eyelids up but as she did so, she had to blink again. Her vision was so blurry everything was a haze and the face looming over her wavered in and out as if there were two or three of them. Another handsome face came into view but the struggle to remain conscious was too much and she finally succumbed to the darkness pulling her down.
* * * *
The moment Mitry appeared on Shoshone Mountain and saw the woman fighting off the demonic was one of the best and worst moments of his life. After one glance at her small lithe body he knew she was his and Weni’s mate.