by Lynn Landes
Bastian says, “That was the dead, Fae Queen, my sister. She was murdered before Drake and Caderyn were crowned!”
“The visions do not lie, my King. She is alive and in trouble!”
Caderyn looks up into Drake’s eyes, “I found her with a bronze dagger sticking out of her chest. She exploded to light particles in front of my eyes! Is it possible, Drake? Could she still be alive?”
Frustrated he begins to pace, “I don’t know? Why would she fake her death? Unless…”
With hope in his eyes, he looks at his Queen, “Caderyn, she brought us together and in finding you she freed me! Of course, she would! I would do the same for her! My sister is alive!”
In his excitement, he steps in front of Samantha, “Tell me everything! Together we will save them both!”
Chapter 12
Time passes as Katie lays immobile on the floor of her home, processing the information from his brain. She attempts to separate the pain, from the woman’s voice she hears and finds Colin’s consciousness. Reading minds is more than accessing the person’s thoughts. It opens the receiver up to memories, thoughts, hopes, dreams and intention. Colin is pure evil. As a follower of the Light, she is not capable of understanding such immorality.
Reese follows his thoughts and races with Ariana to Kathleen’s home. When he lands outside her small cottage, he sees the damage and his heart stops for a moment.
“No!” he whispers and thinking only of Katie’s safety, he rushes inside stepping over the broken fragments of the door and finds her body on the ground.
Ariana follows silently behind him, feeling his despair and guilt. Katie lays curled in a fetal position, trembling, and her eyes are wide open and not responding. Gently, Reese calls her name and touches her shoulder.
“She is fairy-struck, Reese,” Ariana states leaning over her.
“I shouldn’t have left her alone! We have to help her?” Reese exclaims.
Tears fill her violet eyes as she shakes her head. “I have no remaining power, Reese. I am drawing on yours. If we don’t find a way soon, she will fade.”
His eyes meet hers as the answer strikes them both at the same time, “Morgan!” Ariana rises and crosses to the door, picking up the iron cross from the floor. The iron hums but does not harm her. She is a being of light, not a shadow. It is why she did not die when they stabbed her, it only weakened her.
Reese follows and puts a hand on the cross, closes his eyes tight he whispers,
“Brother and friend
Light in the dark,
We call you this day
To guide the way
Save a soul before it fades.”
Reese releases the cross, as a great wind pummels the house. It howls, and blows, washing away any darkness and Morgan lands in the yard in front of Katie’s cottage. His massive wings glint in the light and he snaps them tightly to his side.
Morgan greets Reese and his eyes take in the condition of the house. He senses more, a spirit in trouble, screaming in pain and looks at Reese with a question in his eyes. When Ariana step out onto the porch he smiles. “You look well, My Queen,” Morgan says bowing to her out of respect.
She blushes in response at the sight of his wings, “Many thanks, Morgan. We have need of your help. There is a human in trouble…”
“She helped us with a dark Fae, and now she is marked,” Reese says stepping aside so Morgan can enter the house.
The large Angel tucks his bronze wings away, to allow room for his body to fit inside the small cottage. In two strides, he is kneeling by the young woman on the floor. She is perfectly still; her blue eyes are frozen open. Her simple beauty astounds him, and he gently moves her blonde hair aside. “What happened to her?” he asks softly.
“We found her like this,” Reese says quietly. “Can you help her?”
Morgan senses the lingering evil and drops a holy shield around the small group. “Not here, it is unclean.” He gathers Kathleen in his arms and rises up to his full height.
“You can follow me if you wish.” Morgan steps outside, and spreads his wings out to their full glory, leaping into the air and is gone!
Reese steps to Ariana and gently pulls her into his arms, “You will forget his wings, when I hold you close, My Queen.” He whispers into her ear.
“What wings?” she asks with a laugh as her body reacts to his. He pulls her close and follows the trail Morgan leaves.
Chapter 13
Katie remains trapped in a hell that is Colin’s making. Heat, pain, pleasure, he torments her slowly replaying every murder he has committed in agonizing detail. On the bodies of the women, she sees her own face, as she relives the torture and the games.
She struggles to break free, “Pretty Katie, Don’t you like our game?” He whispers as he strangles her. He tears the clothes from her, baring her naked body to his amusement. He clutches her breast squeezing tight, sinking black talon like nails deep into the pale flesh. Colin leans down and licks the blood, as she screams for mercy.
Katie watches as his mouth suckles her breast and his black eyes capture hers and she smiles when he pushes her to her knees. “You should know something is up with Reese. I think he knows where Ariana is,” says a female voice that is not her own.
An evil gleam appears in his black eyes, “Finally. With her essence, I will not need these disgusting humans.” He steps close to her and strokes her soft cheek, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth. “I grow weary of them, they taste …” flicking his tongue out he licks her parted lip and pulls her close sucking her bottom lip into his hot mouth, “they taste human, unlike you. You taste like heaven.” He growls as he bites her lip hard enough to draw blood. He eases back and laps at the blood on her mouth while she pushes her breast into his chest. He knows she wears nothing under the cloak, just as he likes her, hot and ready for him. He slides his hands under the cloak grasping her firm white behind in his hands. His black nails sink partially into her pale flesh, and she inhales savoring the pleasure and the pain.
“More…” she begs with lust flashing in her eyes. He can smell the scent of her desire and he grins pushing her to her knees.
“You will follow him, and report back to me! I will go after the human.” She nods her head quickly and licks her lips in anticipation.
“I will not fail you, my King,” Nyssa says leering at him because she knows he loves it when she calls him that.
Katie utters a gasp when she realizes she is retrieving his memories. She knows the pain is only in her mind, but she is powerless to stop him. A tear slips down her cheek and her soul screams for help. A dome of white light drops around her spirit in an attempt to block his hold on her. The pain dims as she watches from far away. She is able to follow the thread of Colin’s mind. He is sick and his hatred for humanity is small, compared to his hatred for the Fae. In his mind, she reads the plans for destroying the Fae. He will drain the red headed Fae’s essence and use her spirit to enter the Vale. He is determined to take the Fae King’s body and rule over all them all! He has an army of Dark Fae who have joined his cause, she sees Fallen Angels and Dark Fae training and planning to attack the Shadow King and the Vale and she knows where they are gathering!
Softly a warm breeze blows, and she smells the scent of the ocean. Katie turns her head in the direction of the breeze and smiles tenderly, soothed by its presence.
“Come back, Kathleen. Follow the thread.” The gentle voice says. A golden glow appears, like the sun filling her soul. The pain fades with each step she takes, and soon she begins to run towards it. The closer she gets to the bright light, the less pain she feels. She reaches for it and a strong hand seizes hers and pulls her into the heat.
Katie, closing her eyes tight, sealing them from the radiance of the sun. Tears squeeze free and roll down her cheeks and she feels the pressure of a warm hand holding hers. She latches on pulling it close and she hears his deep voice, “Kathleen, it is safe to open your eyes now.”
Her heart
begins to pound with terror; she pushes back frantically with her legs, shoving her back into the headboard. She jerks her hands free and her blue eyes open wide. Katie screams in terror and attempts to leap from the bed. Her legs are weak, and she crumples to the floor, crawling in terror to the corner of the room. She covers her head and ears with her arms and tries to become invisible.
Reese and Ariana hear the commotion and come running into the room. Morgan holds up his hands and backs away. “Katie, It’s Reese. You are safe now.” He says gently to the terrified woman. Slowly she lifts her face and hope fill her beautiful eyes.
“Reese?” she whispers.
His heart breaks at the terror emanating from her spirit. He hurries to her side and holds out his hand, “Katie, my friend Morgan healed you. You are safe here. Colin can’t get to you here.”
She grasps his hand tightly as if a lifeline has been tossed to a drowning soul. Her cold hand trembles in his as she looks into his bright blue eyes, “He is planning to do horrible things! Your people are not safe; no one is safe from his evil.” Katie hears the sound of the murdered souls screaming for help and she weeps, dropping his hand. She covers her head again and tells him, “Go away, I am marked by his evil.”
Ariana walks forward and draws on the purity of the Angel in the room. “Kathleen, I am Ariana. I can ease your burden if you will let me. Leave us alone for a few minutes,” she tells Morgan and Reese.
Reese rises and touches his Queen, filling her with his power, building her up for the task ahead. She savors the feel of his energy mixing with hers and watches him leave. Morgan hesitates at the door, as an angel, he is a powerful being, but he feels helpless to assist this woman.
He wonders why he cares. Everything in him wants to gather her up, hold her tight and replace every bad memory with beautiful ones. Shock crosses his face, and he takes a step towards her. Ariana steps into his path and her violet eyes lock onto his. “Not yet, Morgan,” she whispers in his mind. He turns and leaves quickly while he has the strength to do so.
Chapter 14
“Kathleen, will you let me help you,” her soft voice asks.
Katie lifts her tear stained cheek and is surprised to see the red head from Colin’s vision. She is ashamed. “He stained my soul. How can you help me?” she asks.
“I can ease the pain, erase the memories if you wish?” she says dropping to the ground beside her.
Katie immediately shakes her head no. “No, they are mine to process. I just need time. I feel so dirty!” she whispers with a fist to her chest. “You are called Ariana?” she asks desperate to make the connections.
“Yes, I am Ariana.” She answers amazed at the fight, in this small human.
“He is coming for you, Ariana! His every thought is focused on capturing you and finishing what he started.” She says pointing at Ariana’s chest.
“I know. He has been hunting me for so long, Katie. Reese and Morgan saved you and me too. If you let us, we can ease your burden.”
“I want to feel clean; maybe a shower and some food, then I need to talk to you and Reese. Help me stand, please?”
Relieved to be of some use, she helps Katie rise and assists her into the shower. Fresh clothes appear in the bathroom, and towels.
“I’ll get you some food, and we will talk soon. If you need me, call.” Ariana says hurrying out to find Reese.
Alone, at last, Katie turns on the shower in the all-white bathroom and fills the room with steam. She drops her clothes and steps into the scalding hot water, hoping to burn the memories away. She leans her head on the shower wall and sobs, wishing for her Grandmother. Her mind is trying frantically to make sense of the images she took from his mind, but her soul cannot take the violent acts he committed. She stays that way, sorting images until the water turns cold.
Outside the bathroom, Morgan paces, he feels her pain, hears her tears and stands with his head bowed outside the bathroom door. His large bronze wings droop and he grips the door frame crushing the wood with his massive hands. He fights the urge to rip the door open and hold her. Instead, he seeks solace on the balcony.
Katie towels dry and wipes the steam from the mirror. In her reflection, she sees the same Kathleen O’Haley she has always seen. Long wavy blond hair, blue eyes, dimple in her chin. She knows looking into the eyes that have seen pure evil, that her soul will never be the same. Her hair dries slowly in long blonde curls and she tries to find the courage to face them. What will they say when she tells them what she has seen?
When she opens the door, she finds the room empty. Relieved to have a few more moments, she looks around and finds to her astonishment she is in a bedroom, with a view of the ocean. There is a balcony and the pounding of the waves draw her close. She slides open the door and steps out onto a large balcony overlooking white sandy beaches. The sun is warm, and she can smell the salty sea air. Katie inhales the ocean deep into her soul and sighs, as she absorbs the peace of the moment.
Morgan watches from the corner of the balcony, careful not to alert her to his presence. The wind blows her hair back and she lifts her face to the sun, he smiles. Beautiful, he thinks.
“Thank you,” she whispers looking at the corner where he stands.
Morgan shimmers to solid form keeping his wings hidden. He is astonished that she could read him so easily. “I apologize if I frightened you, I will leave you in peace.” He says and turns to go.
“You don’t have to go. It was you that saved me, then?” she asks quietly looking at the beautiful man before her. He is larger than Reese, larger than most men; muscular if you like mountains with tan skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. She smiles, thinking of Anya.
“I am Morgan. Reese and Ariana saved you, I simply brought you to safety.” He says softly stepping into the sun.
“Are you Fae, then?” she asks looking at him she wonders at the glow around him.
“Not quite.” He answers evasively, glancing at the ocean.
“Alright then, Morgan, I thank you for whisking me to safety.” She rubs her forehead as her head begins to pound. The memories crowd in, with the screaming voices of the dead and she squeezes her temples in an effort to dull the throbbing.
Morgan senses her pain and immediately moves to help. He places two fingers on each temple and softly rubs. She feels warmth seeping from the tips of his fingers into her skull and the noise dims. Katie sighs and steps into the heat of his body. As he rubs, she leans her forehead on his chest and her hands creep up to his waist. She clutches at his hips, praying he will not stop. “Thank you, Morgan. That helps. It is too much at once. I can’t sort the images.” She looks up into his eyes and smiles.
His eyes drop to her pink lips and he watches her tongue dart out nervously. “You are welcome,” he says slowly. She steps back from his heat and immediately the chaos in her mind returns. “I can do more if you will let me?” he offers.
“I want to keep my memories, is it possible to sort the memories, from the intentions?” Katie asks.
“It should be, let me try,” he says stepping close, causing her to back up to the railing in fear.
Katie tries to mask the fear in her eyes when he steps close, but she reacts instinctively to his presence. “Nooo,” her mind yells.
Morgan stops, hearing her soul react. “I will get Reese; maybe it would be best if he helped you, Kathleen.”
“I’m sorry, Morgan. I just need a minute. I am fractured,” she whispers. “I followed the thread of Colin’s mind, and took images and memories he did not intend, but they are scrambled. I trust you because Reese does. Please don’t take offense. I’m trying to not let the fear win,” she tells him softly as a tear slips free.
Morgan reaches out and catches her tear on his fingertip; with a soft puff of air, he freezes her tear turning it into a grain of sand.
“Each tear is a gift, Kathleen, whether shed in joy or shed in pain, it shall join its brothers, never forgotten. For those that sow in tears, shall reap in joy.”
> He drops it off the side of the railing and it joins the others below.
Katie watches in awe, “What are you?” she asks.
When he releases his bronze wings, Katie’s knees threaten to give out.
“I am an angel, you do not have to fear me,” he promises her.
“What is it with the wings? Women love the wings!” Reese says stepping out onto the balcony shaking his head.
Katie moves closer to Reese, unable to believe what she is seeing. “Fae, and Angels, what’s next Dragons?” she asks softly.
When the two men look at each other, Katie’s mouth falls open.
“Stop teasing her! She has been through enough today!” Ariana says coming to the rescue. “I try not to look directly at his wings, they are too distracting,” she suggests.
Morgan smiles looking at Ariana, “You should touch them sometime, soft as silk,” he suggests flapping them.
Reese steps in front of the large angel, “She will do no such thing!” he growls with his blue eyes flashing with fire!
Everyone laughs, and the tension eases. Katie smiles at the comradery and she says to Morgan, “Can you help ease the pain, the confusion?”
His smile fades as he pulls her close, away from Reese and encircles her with his wings. Ariana and Reese step away. “I can help you, Kathleen, though I’m not sure how long it will last. You must trust me. Ok?”
The moment his wings close around her, Katie feels safe. She shouldn’t trust him, but she does. “I trust you, Morgan,” she says with no hesitation, this time.
His smile could challenge the sun, she thinks as he beams with joy. “I will not hurt you, Kathleen.” He whispers as he presses a soft kiss to her forehead. She closes her eyes and her head falls back. He places his fingers on her temples and massages. Once again, her body relaxes as the swirling images cease. He sifts through, studying each one. He finds the murders that Colin planted in her mind. He is disgusted. He put her spirit in the body of his victims, forcing her to live through and experience every breath they took. It is a miracle she is sane. He whispers something in Latin and those images fade but do not disappear.
