“I’m a white demon.”
“Thanks for clarifying. A demon is a demon—what’s the difference?” I sneered.
“Black demons, which are also in this world, chose to be that way. They sabotage, kill and destroy. I don’t. I would have never agreed to that. It was hard enough to let people I don’t even know control me.”
“So what you’re saying is you’re a good demon? Isn’t that like a jumbo shrimp or an oxymoron?” I shot sarcastically.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m good. I’m required to do whatever the defectors demand, which can be revolting at times, but I don’t destroy. They give me the abilities I need to carry out their objectives. This assignment was my first and my ticket to bringing my sister back to my parents. But the defectors own me now and there will be many more missions for me. That was the deal I made.”
“Speaking of parents—my accident. Was it part of the plan?”
“Your abilities began surfacing before the accident and the defectors had to stop them. They knew Chace had a strong and unusual attachment to you and they couldn’t take the chance that it was because you were going to be as powerful as he was. You and Chace together would be too much of a threat to them and their plan for universal domination. They would never have had another opportunity to destroy him had you and he continued on the path you were on. That car accident was no accident. The defectors made it happen so they could derail the surfacing of your gifts until they were ready.”
I could feel my throat grow tighter. It crushed me to think my parents were taken away from me for some heinous plan to obliterate Chace and ultimately, our world. I held back the tears in my eyes. He continued.
“Your parents were only concerned with keeping you with them and knew nothing of our true intentions. I only came into the project when you were in the coma. Doctor Rush gave you the drugs to keep you here long enough to fall for me. During that time, it was my job to get close enough to you so you would trust me when I came to your world to get you. I had been warned not to cross the line, but I lost control over my emotions. I fell in love with you and wanted out of my predicament. That’s why I went to the Bahamas to speak to the retired guy. He was the only one I knew of who had gotten out of his agreement with the defectors and lived to tell about it. They even gave him his life back. The new drugs Doctor Rush had given you made you cross back over into your world too fast for me to get all the information I needed. I had to follow you every minute of every day so I was never able to return to the Bahamas to get his help. I couldn’t bear another minute of deceiving you and I tried getting out of the deal on my own. I learned very quickly there was no way out for me. I am theirs for the rest of my life.”
William saw the expression in my eyes grow soft. I honestly felt sorry for him. He did what he had to do to protect his family. If I were given the same choice, I probably would have made the same decision. Although I was tremendously distraught over the entire scheme and his role in it, I understood it. He looked at me again, and this time I didn’t turn away. I glanced down at my legs and the invisible ties that bound them. William shook his head as if to banish the thought of his duties and released me entirely. I walked slowly around the room, stretching along the way, but also looking for signs of a way out.
“Thanks,” I muttered before he continued the rest of the story.
“You were sent back to your world with no memories of Chace or your gifts before the accident. The whole process of surfacing abilities was restarted. It gave them time to make the final preparations and me time to make you want me more than you wanted Chace. I never succeeded in that part. I said anything and everything to try get you to turn on him, which you didn’t do.”
William ran his tongue over his lip while taking a moment to gather his thoughts. He seemed to be contemplating if he was going to continue down this road. He hit the gas and went for broke.
“Everything Chace ever told you was the truth. He really did want to marry you for no other reason than he was so deeply in love with you and wanted to protect you, not control you as I implied. He didn’t change your perception or emotions. I don’t even know if he can do that. Those women were beautiful. He is beautiful. And so are you. All gifted ones’ sight becomes superior and they see the inner beauty in people radiating through to the outside. It’s almost like the glow of an expectant mother. I’m telling you this now because after tonight, I’ll never see you again. It’s the least I can do for you now. I was never your destiny, Lexi. It was always Chace.”
I had no words for him. I found a place in the corner of the room where I slid myself down the wall. I pulled up my knees and dropped my head in my hands. William sat beside me as if we were old friends. One minute I felt like hugging him and the next I felt like throwing him across the room. I knew I could do that in any other place but this hellhole.
“I have to finish this mission to get Evangeline back to my parents. After that, I really don’t care what happens to me. My life will be nothing without you anyway and I would never partake in another scheme like this. You should stay here, though. If they manage to overthrow Chace, your world will be controlled by defectors and demons or destroyed altogether. It would be safer for you here.”
“Damn it, William! You say that like Chace’s life means nothing! You’re a psycho or on drugs! Which one? What did they do to you?”
“Neither. I don’t want to hurt him and I won’t.”
“No, you’re just leading the lamb to slaughter!”
“He’s not a lamb, Lexi. You don’t know how dexterous he is! He might even be ready for this! No one knows. As much as they have planned this day for years, thought out every scenario, refined every detail, it could all be for naught. Chace may be able to outfox them yet again.”
“Do you want him to be destroyed? Do you know what that would do to both worlds? Yeah, I didn’t think so. He is the only thing keeping the defectors in line. All the little bouts with them are minor and we always win. This would not be minor! We keep the defectors from making too much trouble with little interference. We come in, defeat and leave. We don’t upset the natural balance of things. In fact, it’s just the opposite. If they destroy my world, what is that going to do to yours? There aren’t enough gifted ones there to keep the peace without the help of gifted ones in my world. If you take away the only barrier protecting everyone, the defectors will rule. Welcome to the new world of demons and darkness. You wouldn’t have to worry about destiny being altered anymore. Everyone will be destined for a life of misery.”
“Evangeline. It’s all for Evangeline and my parents. I don’t want Chace to be destroyed. Not only because it’s wrong, but because of what it would do to you. But I have to—”
I was running out of time and had to cut him off.
“If you don’t want to be evil and you really do love me, why not help us? You already held up your end of the deal. You stalked me and Chace and gave them all the details on us. You got me here and you sound pretty confident that Chace will be here, too. Your work is done.”
Just as William was about to respond, his cell phone rang. I found that strange but it gave me the boost I needed. If the signal from a cell tower could get in, there must be a fault somewhere in that room. The building may have been completely secure, but I would have bet my own soul that there was a fault, intentional or not, right there in this room. Boy that was pretty stupid on their part, I thought. I made a mental note of William’s exact position in the room while he answered the call.
“Yeah.” William spoke into the phone. “As planned. I just sent the message two minutes ago. He should be here within three minutes. No, no problems.
“Lex, Doctor Rush is on his way up. I’ll be going back to demonic form.”
I didn’t know he had left. He still looked like the same miserable demon to me. I had to get every last bit of information I could before the other jerk came up.
“Doctor Rush. Defector or demon?” I asked quickly.
> William drew a deep breath and then sighed loudly. “Demon. A black one. I’m here to execute the plan. He’s here to execute Chace.”
I continued surveying the room, looking for any weaknesses or malfunctions. I tried to use my gifts that weren’t so obvious. My suspension didn’t work and neither did my shield. Chace would be arriving any minute and I had very little time to devise a plan. Considering I was the only gifted one, I should have been able to outsmart a few demons.
“Execute? Here? Now?” I shrieked. “NO! William, please don’t. Don’t do this. You’re better than this. You’re better than them. I’ll find a way to get Evangeline to you, I promise,” I pleaded. My breathing sped up as I stumbled for anything to say that would sway him before that pig came up the stairs.
“You can’t do that. Even I know you can’t do that.”
“But Chace can! And he will, if you let him live!” I pleaded.
“There’s no time for that. I can’t take the chance that they won’t do something horrific to her or my parents to punish me for betraying them. I’m in too deep, Lexi. I’m sorry,” he replied in a sorrowful voice. “I won’t restrain you again, but please don’t try anything when Doctor Rush is here. He’ll have no problem doing away with both of us.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head in defeat.
Chapter 23
The Good, the Bad and the Phyter
The door opened and Doctor Rush walked in with a little extra pep in his step. This was obviously a big day for him and even he, the black demon, couldn’t contain his happiness. He turned his dingy, raven eyes to the sofa where I was originally bound and peered at William. “Why is she free?” he demanded as he set his bag on the floor, leaving the door ajar.
“None of her gifts work here. I know what they are and she’s already tried so I saw no reason to keep her restrained,” he answered in an eerily monotone voice. The demon was back, just as he said it would be. He looked in my direction with his eyes that were as black as his soul.
That wasn’t entirely true and William knew it. I never told him what all of my gifts were and never displayed them in front of him. I started to hope against all odds that William was considering my offer of switching sides. It all came crumbling down when I realized he could have only been concerned with saving his own skin. Just as I decided to make a run for the open door, another man entered and slammed it tightly behind him.
His face. I knew that face. He moved across the floor without acknowledging either William or Doctor Rush and knelt in front of me. It was Mark Simon. The gifted one from my world who saved me from dying in the accident.
“Oh, thank God you’re here!” I blurted out. “It’s a trap! They’re trying to kill Chace!”
“No, really phyter?” he laughed at my ignorance.
“NO! NO! You can’t be!” I screamed as I began beating his chest. “You’re part of this? He trusted you!”
Mark grabbed my wrists firmly and held them in his hands while he spoke. “That’s just the way it goes sometimes, sweetheart,” he said sarcastically. “We aren’t going to hurt you. You were just involved with the wrong person at the wrong time. Hey, don’t feel bad, though. It happens. Actually, I kind of like you, Lexi, so I have a proposition for you. You can defect right now and join us. I did a few years ago and it’s much more fun to control than to be controlled. I own these two! Isn’t that hilarious?” He laughed as he gestured at William and Doctor Rush with his head. “Or you could always roll the dice and see if your world still exists when we’re through. If you choose the latter, this offer will never be made again. You’ll always have to watch your back, if you’re alive, that is. Are you with us or against us?”
I shot him a miserable look before I put my head down and stayed quiet. I would never work with them. I would never be one of them. I would never be on opposing sides to Chace. I would rather turn to dust with the rest of my world.
“Make up your mind quickly, phyter. The party starts in less than two minutes.”
I was so disgusted with his ‘double agent’ status that I couldn’t bear to look at him.
“No,” I mumbled.
“No? That’s all you have to say to me is ‘no’? Look at me when I speak to you!” he ordered. He clutched my chin and jerked my head up. I wouldn’t open my eyes and give him the satisfaction of seeing the terror behind them.
“Mr. Defector, he’s on his way! We should get into position,” Doctor Rush reminded him.
“Shut up!” he scolded. “I’m the one giving the orders around here!”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Defector. Please accept my apologies.” That dumb-ass doctor was practically begging for his life. What a change of pace. Wuss.
Mark turned his attention back to me. “Look at me!” he demanded again. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, you little punk! Look at me or I will destroy your parents when I’m through here!”
I was fiercely protective of my mother and father and this pond scum probably knew it. He was so insane that he would have enjoyed hurting them—again. I didn’t know why, but I believed William when he said they would be all right. I wasn’t going to change that by being stupid.
I did as Mark ordered and when I opened my eyes he was right in my face. I had no choice but to look right into his eyes. They were blue. They were blue! I knew what this meant. He was on my side! Dr. Rush and William had never even seen a defector since they hide behind their demons. They wouldn’t have known that defectors’ eyes are always black—but I did. I remembered Laura talking about that before my daydreaming drowned out her speech. Too bad I didn't listen to the whole thing.
“Much better!” he hissed. “You should join us. Things aren’t always what they seem, you know.”
Something told me that was his signal to me that he wasn’t one of them. I had mere seconds to verify that before Chace came in the door. It was vital to know what I, or we, were up against. I stood up and casually walked around until I got to the exact spot where William stood while talking on the phone. There was no way of knowing just how big the fault was, so I had to be as precise as Chace taught me in training. No one said a word.
“Yes! Your silence is a yes, isn’t it, phyter!” Mark said excitedly. “Your gifts will let you do great things in our world. A good decision. A wise one indeed.”
The first word he spoke was all I needed to know. Yes. That one little word screamed a wealth of information to me. Mark was cryptically agreeing that I was in the right spot and he was on my side. I wasn’t alone.
“If my choices are only to join you or be obliterated, I’ll opt for joining you,” I said meanly. William glared at me in disbelief.
“Lex, no! Don’t! You don’t know what you’re doing! This decision has consequences!” he screamed at me.
“Shut up, white boy! You didn’t even have the balls to be a black demon, so don’t try to grow them now. Shut the hell up before I have to kill you. No one will miss you anyway,” Mark spat. I was hoping he really was on my side because that was a pretty convincing display.
I looked at William and then back at Mark, pretty much for the effect of it all.
“Under one condition.”
“What?” Mark asked, annoyed.
“I’m not helping you in this mission. I can’t.”
“Fine then. Just stand there and look pretty,” he howled. “You turn on me, so much as a fraction of an inch, your life is over,” he threatened.
“Lex, you here? Lex?” Chace’s voice echoed from a few floors below.
Doctor Rush ran to me and covered my mouth with his hand. “He’s not close enough,” he whispered to William and Mark. “Wait.” The two of them stood like lions ready to pounce.
“Lexi! You up there?” Chace called.
Doctor Rush moved his hand from my mouth and twisted my arm behind my back. He ordered me to answer. “Tell him you’re on the third floor and that you’re alone waiting for William to arrive.”
“Drop dead!” I sneered. “I told you I
won’t help you here.”
“Do it!” he demanded as he held a full syringe to my arm. “Or I’ll kill you right now!” he whispered.
“I’m up here, Chace. Two flights up. William’s on his way,” I answered begrudgingly.
“This better be good, Lex. You’re violating one of the strictest laws. Even I can’t get you out of this one!” He continued talking while climbing the stairs. William stood by the door with his eye affixed to the peephole, waiting for Chace. Doctor Rush left my side and switched on a device he pulled from his bag.
“What are you doing? What’s that?” Mark demanded.
“The insurance policy. You’re too new of a defector and your superiors wanted to be sure you would complete the task. Especially since the target is an old chum of yours. This device is summoning the other demons and defectors who were trained to be part of this mission.”
Mark remained incredibly calm. So calm I thought I could have misread his signals. I panicked at the possibility that I could have inadvertently defected, too. I tried to get his attention without the other two goons noticing. He never looked in my direction. Damn it, did he just hoodwink me into joining him? Oh no, what did I do? What did I do? I repeated over and over in my head.
“Now!” William yelled as he flung the door open. He and Doctor Rush pulled Chace into the room and forced him down to the floor. I could see the disappointment in his eyes as he looked at me, and then at William while he struggled to free himself of their grip.
“I’m sorry, old friend,” Mark mocked as he casually shut the door. “Such a shame it is. I used to like you, Chace. Used to. That is until you got too big for yourself and thought you were the king of the world. Both worlds, actually. Don’t you know it’s lonely at the top? And to think—you’ll never have your queen to sit beside you on your throne!” He snickered as he reached over and stroked my hair. I pulled my head away while keeping my feet planted firmly on the fault.
The Dragonfly Prophecy Page 21
