by C. L. Parker
Dante had dug his feet into the asphalt, every muscle flexed, every tendon taut, and every vein bulging as he propelled himself toward her. But for all the ground he had been making he might as well have been trapped in quicksand. After what had seemed like ages, he had finally been at her side, looking down into unresponsive eyes.
Please, just be alive.
His first instinct had been to cradle her in his arms and run to the nearest hospital, but he knew she shouldn’t be moved. Had panic not consumed him, he might have been able to help Tori by transferring some of his Light to her. No way had he been in any state to concentrate in order to make that happen, and deep down, he knew it would take a hell of a lot more than what he had to give to bring her around. All he could surmise was that someone upstairs must have really been looking out for Tori. Especially when the medics had shown up and urged him out of the way so they could work on her. Dante had been territorial at first, refusing to let anyone get near her, but the numbness at seeing her like that had quickly taken over and he had simply faded back, his eyes glued to the woman he loved so passionately.
She was still alive. She was breathing, barely, and her heartbeat was faint, but it was there, sounding like a lullaby of the angels.
Tori was an angel.
His angel.
How the bloody hell had things gone so wrong?
Dante sat in the waiting room of the hospital while his parents huddled in the opposite corner with Dominic, Kerrigan, and Gabe. It had been two days now, and everyone was there, unwilling to leave Tori’s side. All of them had refused to sleep and none of them had taken more than a couple of bites of food. Dante hadn’t eaten at all. Sinclair felt completely useless because of it, but she understood; she was just as upset as the rest of them.
Dante hadn’t said a word to the others after telling them what had happened upon their arrival, and even then they’d had to piece together his broken words. He hadn’t even bothered to admonish his doting mother over her relentless begging for him to eat and try to get at least a couple of hours of sleep. Those were normal things that normal people did on a daily basis, and he couldn’t do normal when he felt anything but. He had merely shaken his head and stared blankly down at the white-tiled floor, the specks of teal and burnt sienna engrained there reminding him of Tori’s gorgeous eyes and silky hair. They were no comparison of course, but it had been something in light of the fact that the hospital staff had kept a strict visitation schedule.
She was all he could think about—the beautiful woman who now lay motionless in a coma just a few doors down.
A bloody coma.
She was a Guardian of the Light, for Christ’s sake. And a Guardian Angel to boot. It just wasn’t possible. Really, the doctors had used the term coma because they didn’t have another name for it. She was unresponsive outwardly, but her brain activity was off the charts.
During their all-too-brief visits to her room, while Colton ran interference, Dante, Kerrigan, and Drew had all tried their damnedest to transfer their Light to Tori in hopes of rousing her from unconsciousness. They had managed to stop the internal bleeding, which the surgeons on staff were calling a miracle, but that was all. It hadn’t worked. It was like a damn wall had been erected for the sole purpose of keeping them out of her unconscious mind. Determined to break through the barrier, Dante had overexerted himself and had nearly passed out from exhaustion. Still, she lay there like Sleeping Beauty, beautiful and serene, without an inkling of a stir. Not even a fluttering of her eyelids.
“Colton! Thank God,” Kerrigan said as her brother-in-law/family doctor walked back into the waiting room. “What did they say?”
Colton looked exhausted. He should’ve been. He had insisted he be directly involved in Tori’s care since her arrival and had left her bedside only a handful of times, and only when necessity demanded it. Plus, he had been pulling every string imaginable to convince the resident doctors that Tori would be best cared for at home with her family.
“It wasn’t easy, and I could very well lose my license if something happens to her, but,” he said, pausing to give a long sigh, “they’ve agreed that there’s not much more they can do for Tori here that we can’t do at home. It’s just a waiting game now. So, we can take her home, under my constant supervision, of course.”
Because of Tori’s genetic makeup, a lot of research needed to be conducted before they could hopefully come up with some sort of solution to her condition. To do that, they would need ready access to Drew’s extensive library on all things Guardian of the Light, and it was going to be all hands on deck to find the answers they were looking for before it was too late. The longer Tori remained unresponsive, the harder it would be to bring her out of it. It was imperative they get Tori home where Colton could keep an eye on her, and the rest of the house could scour the texts without feeling like they had abandoned her.
The whole room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief with Colton’s news. Not Dante, though. He wouldn’t breathe again until Tori opened those beautiful teal eyes, narrowed them at him, and then told him off for being so persistent. This was his fault, after all. She had been so afraid of that bike, but he had encouraged her to embrace her fear in hopes that she would love the freedom as much as he did. And then there was the colossal matter of being the one who had caused the rip in the web of deception in which she had been ensnared. What had his stupidity and obsession with finding out all the secrets she obviously didn’t want him to know in the first place cost her? What had it cost those who loved and cared about her? What had it cost him? More importantly, what had it cost the world?
Victoria Milena Cruz-Grayson’s life was more precious than anything, and mankind was doomed without her to save them from the peril that awaited the end of time.
“Tori . . .” a melodic voice sang her name from somewhere in the distance, getting closer and closer in the darkness of her mind as she stirred to consciousness.
“Come on, you beautiful creature, you. It’s time to wake up.” The voice was at her ear, warm breath spilling over her skin and making her purr to awareness.
There was something cold and wet pressed to her cheek, but Tori welcomed the sensation because at least she was feeling something. Her eyelids fluttered open and she smiled, looking up into the adoring eyes of her lifelong friend. He was the beautiful one, every feature flawless with eyes the color of the most precious gem in the world. But how was he there when Dante would surely be lying next to her?
Mentally, she scanned her body, searching for the familiar sensation of Dante’s touch and unable to find it. Her brow furrowed with confusion as she blinked her eyes to the brightness of the sun overhead. She wasn’t in her bed with Dante; she was outside. Struggling to recall her last memories of what had happened before she fell asleep, Tori’s heart leapt when the images came flooding back.
Oh, God. The storm, her anger, the motorcycle, the wreck.
Tori’s eyes widened and she bolted up, cringing at the soreness that should’ve been present but wasn’t. Looking around, dread seized her. She was in her sanctuary, or at least what was left of her sanctuary. All around her chaos exploded, and she knew that somehow, the wall had vomited its innards onto her sacred place. Gone was the beautiful, vibrantly colored landscape of her meadow, replaced by ugly reds, oranges, grays, and blacks. Pockets of fire blazed unattended everywhere she looked, some slowing to smoldering flames that struggled to remain alive. Black smoke rose from the charred land in the fire’s wake and trees stood like skeletons of their former majestic selves. There were no hummingbirds flittering around, no koi fish in the now barren lake, and no sign of the life she had created. It was a scene of desolation and destitution.
Beneath her, where she sat, the grass was still lush with a dusting of fluffy snowflakes. Around her, delicate wildflowers persevered. Above her, a sliver of the sun’s rays still reached through the center of a lone white cloud to caress her skin lovingly, as if providing her the comfort it sensed she needed.
>
While outside the barrier of that fraction of space every demon from her past nightmares ran amok. Having properly destroyed the world of her making, the demons had now turned on each other. Mangled body parts were scattered about with deep crimson blood flowing like streams through veiny gashes that had been carved into the hardened ground. The smell of death and rotting flesh hung thickly in the air, suffocating in its putridity.
Surely this was Hell.
Tori closed her eyes to the atrocity and swallowed down the bile catapulting from her churning stomach.
“Am I dead?” she asked, forcing her lids open to regard the man from her dreams. She noticed that he was crouched on the outskirts of where the green grass remained untouched.
He chuckled and for a moment, Tori could see a flash of the boy she had loved for all of her life, even before she knew what love was. “No, Tor, you’re still very much alive, but it seems you’ll be our guest for a while still. Maybe even permanently if your physical body doesn’t wake from its coma.”
“I’m in a coma?”
“Not really, but something like that. Thankfully, you had the presence of mind to warp yourself here at the last possible moment. Otherwise, you’d be dead right now. And that would’ve been simply tragic.”
“How do I get back? I have to get back,” she said, imagining how worried her family must be. And then she remembered that she was angry at them all. Still, she’d rather endure their torture than the oblivion her sanctuary had become.
He cocked his head to the side. “I finally have you all to myself. Unlike your apparent disdain for me, I have no desire to send you away.”
Right. She had sent him away. And, yeah, she was still pissed at him, but she was more concerned about her sanctuary at the moment.
“What’s happened here?”
“You happened here.”
“Excuse me?”
“This,” he said, spreading his arms to indicate their surroundings, “is all your doing. You embraced that darker side, became one with it, and the wall came tumbling down. Very poetic, actually. The Guardian of Mankind finally tapped into her inner naughty place and figured out how to combine her powers, making her the most invincible being in existence. With the exception of Whatshisname, that is,” he said, pointing a single finger straight up toward the sky. Tori noticed it was his middle finger.
He repositioned himself, sitting on his rear and crisscrossing his legs to get more comfortable. “But see, here’s where the Big Kahuna messed up. He had so much faith in His own creation, man, that He was arrogant enough to grant such power and place it in one person’s hands. Guess He forgot all about His oath that every man shall be entitled to free will.”
Tori shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s really quite simple. There’s the power of Light, and then there’s the power of Dark,” he said, holding out one hand and then the other. “Light is usually granted to angels and Guardians and all those other goody-two-shoes, but the Dark is made up of everything evil and wielded by those equally as menacing. It’s one or the other, but never both. Well, until you came along.
“Light and Dark can’t normally coexist, but because of your genetic makeup, you inherited both. Not only that, but you also managed to harness their energies and make them work together.” He entwined his fingers to make one solid fist with both hands to demonstrate the strength behind the combined forces. “You have the ultimate power, Tor, and you get to decide how you’re going to use it. Of course there are also those who will and have attempted to sway that decision. Like your parents, for example. And that little creep,” he said with a sneer, “who almost succeeded.”
Tori knew the power to which he was referring. She had tapped into it during her last encounter with him. But what he said made no sense.
“My parents would never ask me to use power like that for something that wasn’t good. They don’t even know that I have it, let alone what I’m supposed to do with it.”
“No? Are you sure about that? Seems like they keep everything else from you. Why should this be any different?”
“They’ve never asked me to do anything wrong.”
“Really?” he challenged. “Tell me, if they thought you were so good and pure, that you truly were the savior of mankind, if they were really so very proud of what you are, why would they have forced you to keep it a secret for all your life, keeping you away from everyone, never giving you an ounce of freedom to do as you please? Why wouldn’t they have shouted it from the highest rooftop? Taken you around the world to do good deeds for those less fortunate? Stood proudly behind you as you performed miracles?”
Tori was quiet as she contemplated the point he was very successfully making.
“You think they really don’t suspect there’s darkness inside you? Your father is the son of an alcoholic and an incubus demon, Tor. Trust me, they’re fully aware of what you’re capable of, and once they figure it out, don’t think for one second they’re not going to use it to their advantage.”
“Sarah Grayson is a Guardian Angel,” she bit out, insulted by his insinuation.
“A Guardian Angel that fell off the wagon, though. Right? The pressure must have been too much for her. And it’s only a fraction of the same pressure that’s been put on you. What does that do to a person, hmm? You should know firsthand. You’re a walking testament to the crazy it instills in you, not knowing whether you’re coming or going, what’s real and what’s not.”
Tori leveled an accusing glare on him. “You had a hand in that, too.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but did you ever stop to think what it might be like to be kept hidden away like you’ve done to me for so long? You’ve done the same thing to me that your parents did to you, and you didn’t like it very much, did you? Like a neglected toy, you’ve put me away in a box filled with all this horror,” he said, gesturing to the demons still wreaking havoc around them, “and you’ve only taken me out to play when it was convenient for you. You wanted your freedom. Why did I deserve any less?”
“You are my world, Tori. All I’ve ever wanted was to be by your side, night and day. So when I figured out how to make that happen, I capitalized on it. Besides, someone new had come onto the scene, and I didn’t trust him. You needed my protection.”
Tori gave a sarcastic laugh. “Well, you did a fine job of protecting me.”
“How was I to know his presence would negate mine? I couldn’t very well protect you when he was keeping me away. And you let him.”
“Dante kept the demons away, too,” Tori reminded him.
“So did I. See? Even now they can’t get near you.”
“But you always left, and when you did, the demons came. Why is that?”
“To let me out, you had to drop the wall. Every time you denied me, I had no choice but to return until you called on me again. Dropping the wall also grants a free pass to the demons until you erect it back in place, but not before they’ve had their fun.”
Finally, she was getting some answers out of him.
“Who are you?” she asked, pressing her luck.
“The man who is in love with you.”
Right. Something more specific then. “What is your name?”
He smirked. “How about an even trade? Tell me you love me and then I’ll tell you my name.”
It seemed they were at an impasse yet again, neither prepared to be the first to give in to the other. Just like the Light and Dark energies that had warred inside of her before. Was the similarity more than mere coincidence? She refused to believe that about the man who had been her constant companion throughout her life. So, Tori decided on another line of questioning.
“Who was the woman I saw in the vision?”
“You haven’t figured that part out yet, huh?”
Tori shook her head. “She looks familiar, but I still can’t place her.”
“She looks familiar because, much like the demons and even me, she’s always been a part of wh
o you are.”
Silence.
“Tell me you love me, Tor, and you’ll know everything.” His voice was quiet and sure, his offer tempting. Those three little words could end all of her useless suffering. But what did he have to gain?
“You said my parents will only use me for their own agenda. What would you use me for?” she challenged.
He sighed. “Nothing. I only want to shower you with love and acceptance. It’s what I’ve offered because it’s the least you deserve.”
“Really? And do you still want to love and accept me knowing that I gave Dante my virginity? Because that one little detail,” she said, pinching her fingers together, “seemed awfully important to you the other day. Enough to make you angrier than I’ve ever seen, in fact.”
He shrugged. “I overreacted, but I’m over it now. Yes, I wanted you to save that gift for me because I wanted you to be unsoiled when I finally had my way with you, but I’m hopeful that one time won’t make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.”
“And what, exactly, is the grand scheme of things?” Tori asked, not really expecting him to tell her.
“I still want you. That’s all that matters. And I will have you. I must.”
“Why?”
He sighed, clearly annoyed by her questioning. “Tori, why are we playing these games? The truth of the matter remains: he lied to you, your parents lied to you. The whole lot of them will stop at nothing until they’ve found out about what you really are, and they’ll shame you. They’ll know that the Guardian of Mankind is not at all what they thought, that a darkness lives within you, that you can call on the demons at will—”
“Is that what I do? The demons come because I will them to?” Tori asked. She had thought as much, but hearing the confirmation from someone who obviously knew more about her inner workings than she did herself was no less of a shock.
“Yes, but you also have the power to stop them. All you have to do is tell me you love me, and I’ll take you away from all the people who constantly undermine you.” He looked around. “From this sanctuary that is definitely anything but a sanctuary now. I’m the only one who really loves and accepts you for all that you are. We used to be the best of friends. I don’t like fighting with you. Would it be so bad to spend an eternity with me?”
