Ascension

by Felicity Heaton

  “I’ll come to you if I can. If I have time before the final stage begins.” Her insides flipped at the thought of going through the ascension. It would happen soon and she still wasn’t sure how she was going to survive it. She had always been close to her magic, giving it what it wanted. All she could do now was continue to do that and hope that, when the time came, it would go easy on her and work with her rather than against. She would give it whatever it wanted, as much blood as she could stomach if it asked it of her, and was sure that Taig wouldn’t refuse her. He would want her to survive.

  “Conflict and danger.” Her mother drank her tea and then refilled her cup, her expression pensive. “There will be a fight in your future. Whoever is after you, they are not going to give up. You will have to defeat them in order to survive and these two marks together means it will be the fight of your life. Whether it happens before or after the ascension is inconsequential. They are linked to your survival and that is why they are in your path. You must be careful, Lea. Don’t leave his side and don’t rush into things. Protect yourself first and foremost.” She touched the final mark and her expression lost its serious edge, melting into a tender smile. “Love.”

  Lealandra blushed and her power automatically reached for Taig. When she had seen that mark, she had hoped it meant him.

  “I don’t think this one needs deciphering.” Her mother smiled with warmth in her grey eyes. “I think the answer to that one is tall, dark and handsome standing outside humouring your father. He’s a good catch, Lea, regardless of his demon blood. Perhaps the two families could meet up when this is over?”

  “Taig said his parents disappeared... died when he was younger.” Lealandra severed the connection between them so he didn’t feel her change in emotions. If he sensed that she was sad or upset, he was bound to come barging in. “I never met them but I’ve seen a picture and they looked happy.”

  “And powerful.”

  Lealandra frowned. “Powerful?”

  “I felt it when he took your hand. Have you never noticed that Taig has more power than most demons, and yet he’s only a half-breed? Which parent was the demon… no, wait… the male… yes, the father, and he was incredibly powerful. If they are dead, it would have taken more than a natural phenomenon or an Earth-dwelling demon to kill them.”

  She had never thought about that. Taig had mentioned that his father was powerful but she hadn’t considered that Taig would only have half of his father’s strength because of his mixed blood. When she doubled Taig’s power, she found herself wondering just who his father had been and why he had been on Earth. Demons with that kind of power never left the underworld. Their presence on Earth affected the delicate balance, tilting it and endangering everyone. Her mother was right. It would have taken another demon from the underworld to kill Taig’s father and that kind of fight would have left a deep scar on the planet. Taig had said that they had left him one day and never returned. What if they weren’t dead? What if they had returned to the underworld?

  But why would they have left Taig?

  Unless they hadn’t had a choice in the matter. God and the Devil existed. Would both parties consider a demon as powerful as Taig’s father living on Earth as an offence? Had Taig’s parents been captured and were being held for that offence? Or had they been taken to the underworld and eliminated just as Taig believed?

  The only way of knowing for sure was to go to the underworld. Lealandra reached out to Taig with her power, needing the connection and desiring to comfort him. She vowed that if she survived her ascension, she would risk everything and go down there to find out what had happened to his parents. She would do all in her power to help him discover their fate, and, if they were alive, to reunite them with their son.

  “It’s insane to think what you’re thinking.” The deep male voice sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. She turned to face Taig. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded across his broad chest. A trace of red lined his irises, a sign of his anger. “I know what you’re thinking and I’ve even thought it myself from time to time. My parents are dead, Lea. Whether they’re down there, or really gone, they’re dead to me.”

  Lealandra reached out to him but he turned his back on her and walked away. The shop door slammed a moment later. She clenched her fists and cursed him. He could be stubborn all he wanted, but he wasn’t going to stop her. When everything was over, she was going down there to see if they were alive. She was going to make him see that his parents had loved him and that he had no reason to hate himself.

  Lealandra hastily kissed her mother and father, embracing them in turn, and then went after Taig.

  He wasn’t going to stop her.

  She was going to help him accept himself whether he liked it or not.

  She was going to because she couldn’t stand by and watch the man she loved destroy himself.

  She had to save him.

  CHAPTER 13

  Lealandra caught up with Taig in the alley opposite her parents’ store. It was darker outside now, heavy black clouds blocking out the afternoon sun and threatening rain. Wind tousled her hair and blew her long black skirt against her legs, making it difficult to walk. Taig’s gaze remained firmly fixed ahead as they walked. He radiated anger in waves so powerful that she wanted to reach out and hold his hand, to comfort him and tell him that there was no reason for him to hate himself because she loved him for who he was.

  She took her car keys out of her small black bag instead and toyed with them. The silence was oppressive and only grew worse, making her feel heavy as they headed back towards the car, snaking through the narrow alleys and avoiding the main streets. She knew why they were taking the back route. Taig’s eyes were as red as blood and his fists were tight balls of barely restrained fury. Whatever he was thinking, it was dark. The aura of danger around him prevented her magic from wanting to connect to him. It shrank back within her, fearful. Lealandra went to touch his hand and then thought the better of it. He never had welcomed comfort. It made him feel weak and he was likely to react in a bad way, and she didn’t want to push him over the edge. He would only hate himself more if he hurt her by mistake.

  The alley nearest the car was so dark that the dim streetlights on the walls had come on. They did nothing to alleviate the gloom. The low grey clouds overhead and scent of rain urged her to walk faster so she avoided the impending downpour. She tried to send her power outwards to detect whether they were alone, but Taig’s power interfered with it and her magic refused to do as she asked.

  She twirled the keys around her finger and then glanced over at Taig.

  A loud crack echoed around the street and suddenly she was in Taig’s arms. They closed around her, one hand pushing her head hard against his chest. It took her a moment to realise it wasn’t thunder. She shut her eyes and hunched against him, making herself as small as possible in his embrace. Another crack sharply followed another and Taig jerked in time with each one. Her heart exploded into action, beating faster than it would’ve done if she had been doing a flat out run. After the fifth bang, the world fell eerily silent. The sound of her pounding heart and ragged breathing filled her ears. She trembled all over, unspent adrenaline making her legs so weak her knees threatened to give out.

  “You can come out now. They’re gone,” Taig whispered close to her ear, his breath tickling it and making a wave of tingles dance across her skin. “Your friends are certainly persistent.”

  Lealandra opened her eyes and they widened the moment she realised that it wasn’t only Taig’s arms around her. Thick black leathery wings enfolded her, forming a shield against her attacker. Taig slumped forwards, his weight pressing down on her slim shoulders, and she pressed her hands to his chest to support him as his grip loosened.

  “Taig!” Panicked, she pushed against him, desperate to see his face and see if he was alright. His heart beat against her palms, strong and steady, a reassurance she badly needed. A few bullets couldn’t kill Taig. She r
epeated it as a mantra as tears rolled down her cheeks.

  She pushed again, struggling to hold his weight, and managed to get him off her. He was looking at her when she finally put enough space between them. He smiled and swallowed, no trace of the tremendous pain she could feel in him visible in his dark red eyes.

  Lealandra cupped his cheek and her brow furrowed. “Taig?”

  He rolled his shoulders, grimacing at the same time as his eyes brightened, all the fires of Hell burning in them for a brief flash. His pain tore into her through where she touched him and then abated when he growled and straightened. His wings folded back and then disappeared, and he shifted out of her reach. With a frown, he looked over his shoulder at his back and pulled on his ruined black shirt.

  “They’re gonna pay now,” he muttered casually but she could hear the agony in his voice. “This was my favourite shirt.”

  Humour in the face of danger. It was just like Taig and it brought a smile to her lips even though it didn’t reach her heart. That was still pounding with fear, sending tremors along every nerve in her body. She shouldn’t have got him involved. The thought of him being hurt ripped her apart inside and stripped her of her strength. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if something happened to him. It would kill her.

  Her eyes roamed his face, searching for a sign of his pain. It echoed within her, her power detecting what he was hiding so well. It was just like him to keep her on the periphery and pretend he was fine when he needed assistance. She wasn’t going to allow it this time. She was going to help him.

  Taig turned to face the direction the attack had come from and she gasped when she saw the ripped back of his shirt and the five long tracks of blood trailing down his skin from his shoulders.

  Without hesitation, she stepped up to him and touched the red angry skin around each wound. Her eyes widened further. “We need to get these bullets out of you.”

  He looked over his shoulder at her.

  Lealandra stared at the wound directly in front of her. The bullet had lodged into his left shoulder, a bloody welt in the middle of his mark. She raised her hand, brought it close to the wound and focused on it. Taig unleashed an ungodly roar as the bullet eased out of his skin, drawn by her magic. She held it in the air with her power, wondering how such a tiny piece of metal could do so much damage, and then released it and watched it fall and hit the floor with a light metallic ting.

  “You might want to give me a bottle of whisky before you try that one again.” Red eyes met hers, his voice dark and menacing.

  Nerves fluttered in her stomach. He would never hurt her but when he looked like this, so close to releasing his demonic side, instinct took over and told her to run.

  “Don’t be such a baby,” she said with false lightness.

  His eyes narrowed but melted back to black. He scanned the alley in all directions and then held his hand out. “Keys. Let’s get you the hell out of here.”

  Lealandra frowned at his outstretched hand. She wanted to remove the rest of the bullets but his tone and expression said not to even mention it and to do as he was saying. She would wait until they were back at his apartment and safe before she convinced him to let her take out the rest.

  “I’m driving. You’re in no condition to get behind the wheel.” Lealandra kept the keys tucked tightly in her hand.

  Darkness swept across his face but quickly dissipated. His broad shoulders rose in a shrug that didn’t fool her and he held his arm out to one side. She walked past him, heading for her car at the other end of the alley. Her heart jump-started again when she stepped out into the wide street, her eyes darting about as her power reached out to check her surroundings for any demon signatures. The only one that came back was Taig.

  The demon must have tracked her car and been waiting for them to return to it. If they hadn’t been so distracted, one of them probably would have sensed the presence of the demon before it could open fire.

  Her thoughts drifted to her parents and a flicker of fear for them beat in her heart. They would be safe. Such a weak demon wouldn’t stand a chance against them but it didn’t stop her from worrying.

  Taig kept behind her, a second shadow that moved so closely that she could feel him brushing against her body. His hip grazed her backside when she reached the door of her car and a quiet thrill chased over her skin at the contact, followed by a flush of prickly heat. She swallowed and pressed the button on her fob to unlock the doors.

  Taig moved back a few inches when she opened the door and slid behind the wheel. He closed the door for her and rounded the hood of the car. She stared at his exposed back. His shirt was in tatters but the gunfire hadn’t torn it apart. It had been those wings. She had never realised that he had them. What would he look like if he shed his human visage?

  He slid his bulky frame into the seat beside her and nodded towards the road, a silent command for her to drive. She did. It was difficult to stick within the speed limit when she could feel Taig’s pain and wanted to get him home so she could tend to his wounds, and she didn’t bother to park far away when they finally reached his neighbourhood. The garage beneath his building was open. She drove down into it and spotted the space that matched his apartment number. It was empty. She threw the car into it and switched off the engine.

  Taig stepped out of the car first, coming around to open the door for her. His chivalry drew a smile and the way he stayed impossibly close to her during the quick walk through his building made searing hot memories of their time together leap to the forefront of her mind. He slipped his arm around her waist and held her close as he unlocked his front door, and she found herself willing him to slow down so she could savour the feel of him against her. He slid the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open. She kept still when he motioned for her to remain where she was.

  He walked into the apartment ahead of her, stalking through the darkness like a predator while she waited on the threshold. He really wasn’t taking any chances. She warmed inside and then a sudden emptiness opened within her. Watching him now, she wished she had never left him. Charlie may have been her Counter-Balance but Taig was so much more than that. He was everything she had ever wanted and he understood her better than Charlie.

  Better than anyone.

  “It’s clear,” Taig said and then disappeared again.

  Lealandra flicked on the entrance hall lights and closed the door, sliding every bolt into place and turning every lock. She tugged off her knee high boots and then walked into the lounge. The large white space still didn’t suit Taig. She preferred his old apartment. That one had colour and life. That one had felt like a home.

  The sound of the shower kicking in drew her attention to the bedroom. Her feet carried her there of their own volition and she moved as though in a dream, pulled to Taig and filled with a need to help him whether he liked it or not. His clothes were scattered across the bedroom floor and her eyes idly scanned over them before moving to the door of the bathroom. It was ajar.

  Swallowing her nerves, she pushed it open. She shed her clothes and her inhibitions on her way to the shower cubicle and slid the door open. Taig had his back to her, the hot water bouncing off his shoulders and running through his black hair, plastering it to his head.

  “Don’t turn around,” she warned and he dragged a hand over his hair, long fingers tangling in it. “I’m purely here to get these bullets out of you. That’s all.”

  Lealandra stepped into the cubicle and slid the glass door closed. Even though the cubicle was big enough for two, Taig took up most of it. His broad tanned shoulders drew her gaze as he moved to accommodate her, shifting away from the spray of the shower. She stepped under the water and tilted her head back to wet her hair so it would stay out of her face while she worked. Taig sighed and every muscle on his back moved with it, dancing beneath his skin in a symphony that echoed on her heartstrings. Her gaze raked over him, refreshing her memory of his body. It lingered on the sculpted globes of his backside
and the two dimples in his lower back above them. She had forgotten just how breathtaking his body was when he was naked. Six years without him suddenly felt as though it had been an eternity in Hell and she was itching to touch him, to trail her fingertips over every inch of his body and never stop.

  He moved and she realised he was about to look over his shoulder at her. Coming to her senses, she reached up and pressed her hand to his cheek, pushing his head back so he couldn’t see her.

  “No peeking.” Either her chastisement or the way her breasts squashed against his back elicited a long sigh from him. “Do you want a drink before I do this?”

  A shake of his head was his answer. She set down on the heels of her bare feet and moved back a few inches so she could get a better look at the wounds. Rivulets of red mixed with the water running down his back. The wound she had removed the bullet from was already closing. She had forgotten he had preternatural healing speed. In a day or two, all evidence of tonight’s attack would be gone from his body. He would be perfect again, save a few new scars to wax lyrical about in the future.

  Lealandra held her hand an inch from the first wound and slowly drew it away, using her magic to pull the bullet free of his flesh. It clattered onto the floor of the shower and she moved onto the next, wanting to do it quickly so it would cause Taig less pain. The only sound Taig made as each bullet popped free of his skin was a low grunt but his arms were tense and trembling, his hands clenched into tight fists of restraint. His body could heal quickly but he still felt pain as keenly as a human did. The final bullet fell and she moved backwards, under the jet of water. Her hands shook when she placed them on his waist and brought him backwards with her until the water was running down his back. He hissed and went rigid.

  Driven by a desire to take away some of the pain he was feeling, Lealandra ran her hands up his sides to his elbows and from there coursed them up over his strong arms to his shoulders. He relaxed a touch but there was still immense pain in him. It called to her power and made her want to heal him, sparking her curiosity again. When Charlie had died, she had understood why her magic had wanted to heal him. It had wanted to restore her Counter-Balance. Without it, she was in danger of slipping into the darkness that such potent power evoked within her. Was it possible that her magic saw Taig as a replacement Counter-Balance that needed restoration and protection, or was it her heart that dictated her actions? Confusion swam in her mind, filling her with conflicting thoughts. Taig couldn’t be her Counter-Balance. He was half demon and bore no magic.