The Touch (Healer Series)

by Allison Rios

  “Beautiful,” Devin said. “Is this one of your so-called secret places?”

  “It is,” she said, smiling because of the memories and forgetting about the future for a moment.

  Devin watched her, absorbed in the way she stared out at something and could see so much more in it. He had heard around town the rumors about her and knew she must not have had an easy life. It was part of what made her such an easy target – her incessant need to feel loved. He’d studied people like this while he was in school and knew exactly what to do to manipulate them. It was how he had played with many of his victims, and he was preying on Addie with the same mindset. If she would let him get close, he thought, he could have some fun for awhile before it was time to close the book on AJ.

  As he looked at her, he felt a twinge in his heart and he momentarily felt a surge of guilt run through his body. She reminded him of the girlfriend he had lost. She had been stubborn and fierce as well, although he recalled the moments when she would look out the window and find the beauty in the everyday wonders of the world outside. He forced the memory down, not wanting it to foil his intentions. Addie was not his girlfriend; no one was. Addie was a pawn in a very thoughtful chess game.

  Devin grabbed the picnic basket as Addie grabbed the blanket, heading out into the field. She tried to imagine that Robert was with her. She couldn’t think about AJ – it might give it away. She was still unsure exactly what Devin could do with his mind and she didn’t want to feed him any thoughts. He seemed to be comfortable with her. She watched him to see any indications he thought something was going on. Her eyes continually darting across the field raised a concern in the Grim’s mind and he set himself on high alert.

  She spread the blanket out as Devin watched, slowly and very carefully smoothing out the wrinkles and allowing the blanket to cover as wide a space as possible. She wanted to give them plenty of room. She didn’t want to sit any closer to him than she had to.

  Devin sat down on one side, placing the picnic basket in the middle. He opened it up, the fresh scent of a home cooked meal escaping from inside. Helen had made it for them at AJ’s request; he wanted everything to seem as authentic as possible.

  Addie forced herself to eat something, putting a little of everything on her plate. She wasn’t hungry, and having to down even small bites was wreaking havoc on her stomach. The smiles were getting harder and harder to fake as she fought the urge to throw up with every smile Devin threw at her.

  Devin was watching her pick at her food, wishing he could read her. Every time he went to touch her, she pulled away. The way people talked about her, he wasn’t surprised; she was seen as a loner, someone who wanted and needed no one. He was going to have to be patient and work hard to get near her.

  As he finished eating, Addie offered him a glass of wine.

  “I made it myself,” she said, smiling as proudly as she could. “Grapes right from my little vineyard!”

  It was true; she had made it the year before, by hand, from the best crop of grapes she’d ever had. She felt ashamed to have to waste it on such a lowlife. It was part of her ultimate plan – she had slipped something inside of it before she left. From her grandmother’s explanation, both Grims and Healers were part human. She figured if a human could get drunk or drowsy, Devin could, too.

  She wasn’t going down without a fight.

  To keep it from being obvious, she poured some in her own glass and drank it, sip by sip. If she was drowsy, it didn’t matter. Her goal had been to get him there and throw him off. She would have done her part and the rest would be up to AJ.

  Devin watched her, seemingly enjoying herself and relaxing. The wine was delicious, he thought. As he took his last drink, Devin sat upright, snapping his head in the direction of the forest. He stood up and in an instant had Addie in front of him, his arms around her, pinning her to him.

  “I can feel you,” he growled, scanning the trees for AJ. “I know you’re there AJ! Are you here for your precious girl? You’re a little late…I’ve already touched her!”

  Devin pressed his fingers against her chest and sent a shockwave through her body. She could feel the energy release itself from her, her legs turning into mush and unable to hold her weight. She went limp in his arms, fighting just to stay awake. The wine had thrown her off and she was defenseless.

  AJ sprang forward from the trees. They hadn’t gotten there in time. The shield had worn off as he was bolting through the forest with Max and Devin had grabbed Addie before he could reach the field.

  “Put her down!” he yelled, so loudly that it startled even Devin. The rage was powerful in his voice.

  “Or what?” Devin replied.

  He knew as long as a mortal was in his hands, AJ couldn’t touch him. The most important law the Healers held was to never harm a mortal.

  Devin’s eyes shot upward and then back down along the tree line as he suddenly felt the presence of other Healers.

  “You’ve brought others?” he said, a flicker of fear running through him for a moment.

  Devin didn’t know how many. He could only feel them coming. He felt foolish for so blindly falling for Addie’s ploy; he should have seen through it.

  “Let her go, and it’s just you and I,” AJ said, taking advantage of the fact that Devin didn’t seem aware the others could not fight him. They were there for intimidation only, and it seemed to be working.

  Devin looked him up and down, sizing up the situation. He knew a Healer’s word was sealed and they could not go back on it. If AJ challenged him to a man to man battle, the others could not intervene. He seemed satisfied with that, his power stronger than ever. He was confident that he could easily defeat AJ.

  Devin smiled.

  “Gladly!” he screamed, tossing Addie ten feet through the air.

  She landed with a thud on the grass and AJ looked at Max, directing him with a nod to attend to Addie. She was still, her breathing minimal. Max flipped her onto her back, and she was wheezing. He tried to get an image, a vision of any sort to tell him whether or not to heal her. It was impossible to see anything except for a blur. She opened her eyes slightly, and stared at Max.

  “You can’t touch me until AJ is safe,” she whispered, gasping for breath.

  “Addie, he made me promise-”

  “I don’t care…what he promised. Don’t touch me until he’s okay. I won’t let you…he might need you to save him. Don’t you dare waste it on me. He can change lives Max, I can’t.”

  Max ignored her plea and she pushed his hand away.

  “I won’t let you read me! Gram told me how to block you. I won’t let you see if I’m supposed to be saved.”

  “She’s blocking me!” Max yelled at AJ.

  AJ looked over at him and down at Addie. She was stubborn. So was he, he thought. He wasn’t going to let her die. A surge of anger thrust into his veins. He felt empowered, livid, and prepared to fight.

  The two men circled, AJ’s arms prepared to swing at any moment. His broad shoulders were tense, the muscles visible through his shirt as he assessed the situation to make the best move. His brows were furled, the hatred coursing through his body. He’d spent the last few years helping people, making them better and removing their pain, and comforting them when he couldn’t save them. He had never intentionally inflicted pain since he became a Healer, and the thought of doing that now sickened him and made him hate Devin more.

  He knew he was not as strong as Devin in the sense of his powers. He would need to use brute force to throw Devin off and take the advantage. He reiterated his goal: he was ready to die if it would remove Devin from the planet.

  Devin was quick, agile. He had less muscle mass than AJ, yet what he lacked in muscle he made up for in strength from experience. He sneered a wicked smile as they stared each other down, his feet moving him in a circle, ready to pounce.

  Devin threw the first punch, his hand connecting with AJ’s jaw and whipping his opponent’s head. AJ responded with an upperc
ut to the stomach, knocking Devin back a few feet, another uppercut by AJ followed by a kick from Devin knocking them both to the ground.

  As the fight began and the two involved became focused only on each other, the Healer’s emerged from the woods and surrounded the two in a circle, entrapping them in the middle as the fight raged.

  Devin paid no mind to the others, intent on destroying AJ. He charged the Healer, barreling into him with a shoulder. It knocked AJ back before the Healer recuperated enough to grab Devin in a headlock. Devin’s arms swung methodically, crushing AJ’s ribs with repeated side punches.

  A few more of those caused AJ to release Devin, who stood upright and raised his hands in the air. He didn’t even seem winded. AJ was beginning to feel the adrenaline rush fading from his system. Devin charged him again, and AJ jumped aside causing Devin to fall. He sprang back up immediately and swayed, the drugs Addie had laced the wine with beginning to take effect.

  Devin looked at her, the anger fueling his fight. He sprang at her to end her life for her betrayal and was met with the full force of AJ’s body, knocking both men to the ground. AJ landed on top, throwing punch after punch, twelve in total. His hands were sore. Although Devin’s head fell to the side, motionless, AJ hadn’t left a mark – no cuts, no bruises, no blood. He let his arms fall and as he did, Devin’s head turned back with an evil grin. Devin sprang up, tossing AJ aside.

  AJ landed on his back, a rock cutting into this skin. Devin grabbed his feet, dragging him back the center, the rock cutting a gash from AJ’s lower back all the way to this shoulder as his body was dragged across it. The blood seeped out just as it had days before with Rose’s speared leg.

  “Such a great responsibility, helping people, isn’t it AJ?” he said, circling AJ’s beaten body. “Just a shame you couldn’t save your own mother, isn’t it?”

  Devin laughed and picked AJ up, punching him again in the face and letting him fall.

  AJ looked over at Max and Addie, her still body lying there, Max desperately trying to find a sign to heal her. AJ’s body was weak and he grimaced. The world had turned to slow motion as Devin circled around him.

  AJ looked back over at Max, the words silently forming on his lips: take care of her.

  Devin saw his glance and stood over AJ, glaring directly into the eyes that his hatred had memorized a month before.

  “It’s really a shame she has to die. She looked to be so much fun. You really can’t have it both ways though, huh? It’s either save her or destroy me – you can’t do both. And saving her means I’ll still be here to ruin your life.”

  He cackled, his arms spread out as he looked mockingly at the other Healers.

  “And none of you can touch me, how glorious is that?”

  AJ had nothing left but tried desperately to get up. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he needed to win. Losing was not an option. Death didn’t matter for him. Even after the punches, Devin was standing as if nothing had happened, barely a mark on his body to show that AJ had inflicted punishment of any kind upon him.

  Devin walked over and picked AJ up by the shoulders, laughing. He cocked his arm for one final blow, whispering into AJ’s ear first.

  “The fun I’m going to have with her when you’re not here to stop me…”

  He let loose, sending AJ flying backwards through the air, against the Healers that had formed a circle around the two. As he landed against two of them, something Devin hadn’t anticipated happened – AJ absorbed their strength. They pulled away moments before he absorbed it all, and the others stepped together to fill in the gap and create a tighter circle. Recharged, AJ ran back at Devin, tackling him to the ground. Devin kicked him off and AJ again landed against a Healer, absorbing the power. While the other Healers couldn’t attack Devin directly, there were no rules that they couldn’t pass their power onto AJ. Devin looked at the circle, realizing it was not only one, but multiple circles surrounding them, hundreds of Healers worth of power awaiting battle through AJ. He ran at AJ and his steps were off, the drugs infiltrating his system. They did so at a slower pace than a normal human, although they were definitely working.

  As he got close, AJ moved to the side and was able to clothesline Devin, sending him hard onto the ground. The battle ensued for what seemed like an hour, Devin growing weaker and woozy as AJ continually recharged, the circle growing smaller and forcing a tighter and tighter fighting ground. Devin began to realize that AJ could fight damn near forever.

  Devin charged again, swinging, and AJ laid him out with a right hook, his bones as thick as steel when they connected with the Grim’s chin. As Devin lay on the ground AJ climbed on top of him, placing his hands on his enemy’s heaving chest, usurping the energy Devin had left. The Healer closest grabbed onto AJ doubling his power and one by one, the Healers joined hands until the charge was too great for Devin. With a final breath that hinted at regret and apology, Devin lay lifeless on the ground before them with his eyes wide open and aimed at the sky.

  AJ looked around him, the Healers now walking to each other and passing on strength where needed for the purpose of survival. He couldn’t stand. Nearly all of his strength had been taken out of him by his last blow to Devin and his rubber legs were questionable at best. He crawled on his hands and knees the fifty feet over to Addie, pulling her up against him. He wrapped his thick, branch-like arms around her back and hoisted her up from the ground, brushing the rogue hair back out of her battered face. She was bruised and cut from the fall, the streaks of blood across her head a red river. Her breathing was nearly gone. He pressed his forehead into hers, begging her to live, to carry on for him.

  “Baby, don’t leave. Let us see – open your mind. Let me in. Let us in. Open up! Let me see,” he pleaded, no visions coming to his mind. Max tried as well, placing his hands on her shoulders. There was nothing.

  Max walked away, giving them space. If Addie didn’t open up, he couldn’t help her. He had no choice, and he couldn’t watch as his friend lost the woman he loved. He’d already lived it once himself.

  AJ lay down on the cushion of grass beneath them, his body so near to her they could have been mistaken as one. With his strength fading, she let her head fall in his direction as she opened her eyes.

  “Addie,” he whispered. “Baby, don’t go…”

  He reached his hand over to her and as it touched her, he saw the visions he had struggled to understand before. She wasn’t closed off to him. They showed her taking care of Helen and Matthew; spending time with Rose. They showed her working with children. She was meant to be saved and the realization was pure gold to his fading mind; a treasure and a gift that were far greater than anything he had ever received in his life. AJ smiled at her.

  She smiled back.

  The wind was swaying through the treetops, whipping the branches of the oak tree above them back and forth. The sun’s rays speckled their faces and danced back and forth as they peeked through the holes made by the branches, the warmth of it forcing chills through their bodies.

  He knew he was going to die that day, although he thought it would be in battle with Devin; not holding Addie’s hand.

  He had felt it from the moment he came to town; something was always off. As he smiled at Addie, he remembered how she looked the first time they’d met, leaning against his car with the sunlight reflecting off her hair, the same way it reflected off of it now. Her smile was contagious and it made him believe that in this little town, life could be different.

  He just hadn’t realized how different. He squeezed Addie’s hand, sending the warmth she had felt the first time they touched coursing through her veins again. It was electric. Her body arched with the force, life being breathed back into her.

  He kept smiling, the pain of the energy escaping him causing his lips to twitch slightly and Addie knew.

  “I love you, Addie.”

  She couldn’t block herself again, although she tried. She couldn’t pull her hand away. She knew what he was doin
g and couldn’t stop it. Her eyes grew wild, just as they had that night in the barn when she saw what he had done to save Rose. She closed them tightly, willing it to stop. She tried to fight, to loosen his grip on her hand, but couldn’t. His love for her was stronger than her entire body.

  She started coughing, the life coming back into her, her chest rising and falling with the breath she had been struggling for. She looked back over at him, pleading, except he wouldn’t let go. Max heard her gasp and ran back over to them, sliding on the ground as if heading for home base. It was too late; Addie was coughing, brought back to life from being near death. AJ looked up at them and smiled before closing his eyes, his lips still curved upward.

  He knew he was going to die that day. He was happy to do it for her.

  BOOK TWO PREVIEW

  The sky was aqua blue, the cotton ball clouds having dissipated as though they knew the threat of darkness had vanished. It appeared she was staring directly into the very clearest depths of the ocean. Her breathing strained like someone was pressing on her chest, and she fought to regain a steady up-and-down, in-and-out rhythm for air. The sun was a vibrant orange, lighting up the entire horizon as if a beacon of hope. The wind rushed through the trees, rustling leaves and scattering birds that flew above without ever a care of losing that freedom. How lucky those birds were.

  Devin’s darkly shrouded body lay still in death just yards from where AJ and Addie had collapsed, the Grim’s chest no longer heaving up and down in the familiar pattern that echoed life. His black eyes were still open in shock, as his death had happened so quickly. He hadn’t had time to be anything more than aghast at the sight of the end. His clothes torn and bloodied, his mouth was finally silent. Without hateful and antagonizing words filling up the space around him, he almost seemed kind and human – although Addie knew better.

  Her body flinched on the grass beneath her, seeking to sit up but still unable to. Every inch of her tingled, ached and burned. She could feel the blood running from the few open wounds on her arm and leg, so warm against the early-evening chill of her skin. The shorts and shirt she had thrown on earlier seemed nonexistent as the breeze sent chills through to her very core. She tried to move and was barely able to lift her arms let alone her entire body.