Unknown Protector

by Maggie Mundy

  “What do you mean they won’t replace her guardian? The Demonic Midworlders will know she isn’t covered. They’ll come in force to get her, and you spent the night cozying up to her instead of coming and telling me. This isn’t good.”

  Nicole couldn’t disagree with her but considered ranting and raving on her part wouldn’t solve anything at the moment.

  Sara propped her hands on her perfectly proportioned hips. “I should’ve known something was wrong when Jake said you didn’t want to go back to the game.”

  “Come on, Sara. You love a challenge,” Ridge said, and smiled at his second-in-command.

  Sara grinned, and Nicole believed she wanted the coming fight and would enjoy it. She needed someone tough on her side so she said nothing.

  Ridge stood in the center of the room, arms folded across his broad chest. “It gets better. Sayell dispatched her guardian. Said Liliath wants her. He was cooked meat from my scripsits when I left him.”

  ACDC filled the room and Ridge picked up his cell phone from beside the bed.

  “We’ve got company. I’d better go and get some pants on. Nicole, I want you to stay here while we get rid of them.”

  Nicole saw the expression Sara gave her before she left. Not the raised eyebrow thing this time, but the ‘I can see you’re going to be trouble’ look as she shook her head.

  Damn it, she didn’t ask for this. She also didn’t like the idea of other people fighting for her and getting hurt, even if they weren’t people but aliens. She managed to sit on the end of her bed for two minutes until the agitation of not knowing got to her. To stay put had its merits. Following him last time had gotten her frozen like a Popsicle.

  She stood up but then stumbled to the floor. The room shook. Hell. An earthquake was not what she needed at the moment. They were in San Francisco, but she had an inkling this was nothing to do with the ground beneath them. Her heart pounded even though the shaking stopped. She crawled over and grabbed onto the door handle. Her hands were clammy but she fought the rising panic. The bedroom door opened into a huge apartment. It had a fancy kitchen off to the left, and a lounge to the right with the biggest plasma screen she’d ever seen. The furniture like the sheets on the bed appeared expensive, but there was a softer touch to the layout and adornments. Two vases had tumbled over. Beautiful roses spilled out and water dripped to the tiled floor.

  There was a long window down one side of the room and when she glimpsed out she saw a black limo parked below. It reminded her of the one Sayell had used the night before. The early morning traffic and people rushing to get to work seemed so normal, but this room seemed a million miles away from such normality. She turned back and made her way down the corridor to the left of the kitchen. It had two doors on each side. She opened one and peered inside to find the first was an empty bedroom. The second was only lit by a bedside lamp. A redhead lay asleep in the bed, snoring away. That must be Kerry. So he made her scream.

  From what Nicole had seen of his body she had no doubt he could make a woman scream, quite easily.

  She shut the door to Kerry’s room and tried the one at the end of the corridor. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Inching forward she found herself on a balcony overlooking the dance floor inside the club. Two voices came from below. They sounded like Ridge and Sara. Nicole crept towards the banister and peered down. A stage with a DJ station filled one end of the room and a bar ran down one side. Surrounding the dance floor were sofas in red, blue, silver and black leather. The lights were dimmed and the dance floor gave the impression of a chessboard with red and black squares. There was still a faint smell of alcohol in the air. Ridge stepped forward, but Sara stood back with three other males beside her.

  Ridge stood with his arms folded, offering no handshake in greeting but a defiant stance instead. “Not feeling too good. Eh, Sayell? Not like you to wear a robe and a cowl instead of Prada, you being a pretty boy and all.”

  Nicole peered further over to see Sayell had three others with him, presumably the ones who had blown up her apartment.

  “Let’s cut to the chase, dear friend. I sense her here, and let’s face it; if she had a new guardian she’d be long gone. Rules are rules, if your kind can’t provide her with protection, she’s fair game.”

  Nicole couldn’t see Sayell’s face, but his voice sounded distorted and twisted with pain. Perhaps the scripsits had chewed on his vocal cords. She smiled at the thought.

  Ridge stepped forward. “Nicole’s mine, Sayell. I claim her as my mate.”

  Sayell laughed, or Nicole assumed he laughed. Or he could be chucking up one of his organs the snakes hadn’t consumed the night before. And what the heck, a mate, and why was Ridge claiming her? Last night Sayell wanted to impregnate her, and now she had a mate. What was she? A dog at the pound, or a filly being chosen for the local stud?

  Sayell shook his head. “Pairings are a myth and you and I have lived long enough to know it. All it achieves is a painful death for the human, and a reason to die for the Midworlder. Let’s get on with this exchange. I’ve a demonic guardian waiting for her in Pergor.”

  Icy hands touched Nicole’s neck. She tried to cry out but her lips wouldn’t move. Clenching her fists she dug her nails into her palms.

  “Ridge,” she yelled his name, which took every ounce of energy she could muster, but it got their attention. Everyone looked up. She wanted to run, scream, fight but she couldn’t move. The lack of control again froze her heart with terror.

  “She’s mine,” Ridge yelled. “If he keeps touching her, I’ll seek retribution.”

  Nicole didn’t know what retribution meant but she could hear the fury in Ridge’s voice. She always fought her own battles, but having an infuriated Ridge on her side seemed like a good option.

  “Seriously, Ridge, are you really going to invoke the old ways? A mate, how quaint. Retribution, what next, ascension? Do you believe in that myth too? How tragic. The stories these fools believe on this planet are nothing. You know what we come from. If you’re starting to believe their illusions then maybe this pathetic human is your mate. But if she is, then she still has to claim you in return. If not, she’s still ours.”

  Nicole’s feet left the ground as the Demonic Midworlder lifted her up and dangled her over the edge of the balcony. When Ridge had taken her in the air the night before she had the impression of being as light as a feather, but this sensation was more akin to making her way through sludge.

  “I choose, Ridge.’ She shouted. Her terrified mind overrunning her common sense as to what the statement meant.

  Her captor disappeared leaving her to plummet to the floor. If Ridge wanted to save her she hoped he would start right this minute. He caught her and she was glad to have his body up close and personal.

  Sayell sauntered across and reached out with his skinned finger to touch her chin. “We’ll be watching.”

  Nicole shuddered.

  “Don’t forget to explain the agonizing death she’ll experience when the conversion fails. I look forward to seeing you in one month at the ceremony. I have the perfect Gucci suit for the occasion. Make sure she doesn’t get her blood on it or I’ll be sending you the dry cleaning bill.”

  With that lovely comment, Sayell and his friends disappeared into thin air. Yet another magic trick Nicole’s brain had to accept. Sara strode over.

  “Nice one, Boss. You couldn’t come up with anything else?” Sara slapped him on the back. “I want to keep Kaylie with me, but even I wouldn’t risk a claiming.”

  “We’ll figure something out. Within the month she’ll have a new guardian and it won’t be an issue anyway.” Ridge loosened his grip and Nicole’s feet touched the floor, but he didn’t let go. He kept his arm around her waist so their lower bodies still touched, and for once he didn’t have an erection.

  �
��This won’t take a minute,” Ridge said. He placed his palm on her chest between her breasts.

  His hand was cool and when she glanced down there was a blue glow surrounding it. What now? He mumbled something she couldn’t make out. She didn’t feel any different, but from the intake of breath she heard from some of the other Midworlders in the room whatever Ridge had done wasn’t a common event. He moved his palm away and strolled off without giving her any explanation. Nicole gazed down at her chest and up at the room. Wasn’t anybody going to tell her what just happened?

  “Hey, I’m still here. It would be nice to be involved in this discussion.”

  Ridge stopped and marched back. The look he gave didn’t inspire confidence or adoration. Exasperation was more the word coming to mind. He stood in front of her with his arms folded.

  “It means what you think it means. We’ve chosen each other. I connected us, so Sayell can’t get his hands on you. We’ve one month to get you a guardian or I’ll have to try and convert you to be one of us and as you heard, it don’t work.”

  Ridge turned away then back again. He stepped in so his face was close to hers. If he was angry shouldn’t he be aiming it at Sayell instead of her? She didn’t ask for any of this.

  “Next time I tell you to stay put, I expect you to do as you’re told. I could’ve kept them down here and that Demonic Midworlder wouldn’t have been able to get his filthy hands on you, and we wouldn’t be in this mess. You had to do one simple thing, listen and do what you were told.”

  Ridge didn’t wait for an answer as he moved away. She fisted her hands trying to control her temper, it didn’t work.

  “That’s two things, and I only left the apartment because I thought you were hurt when the building shook. Excuse me for being worried about you and your friends, you big moron.” Nicole wasn’t prone to screaming, but she had cried too much in the past when Ben died. Yelling seemed a good alternative. Everyone in the room stared at her. Sara held her hand over her mouth, but was laughing from the way her shoulders moved. Ridge turned back and Nicole stood her ground. He obviously wasn’t used to being yelled at, or maybe it was because she called him a moron. With her hands on hips and her head held high she faced him.

  “Thanks you so much. Instead of having my life sucked out of me now I get a month to think about my life getting sucked out. Or I can explode and mess up Sayell’s suit. You keep saying you were sent to save my life. I think all you’re doing is delaying my death.” Her body shook with anger and frustration not just aimed at Ridge, but at everything happening to her now and in the past. This wasn’t how she responded to things. She needed to draw on her years in the police force and calm down, but she couldn’t stop shaking. Ridge was trying to do his best.

  “Why don’t you go back upstairs while I sort out what to do with this crap situation?” Ridge strode towards the bar while the others stared at her.

  All of a sudden it hit her how alone she was. She went up the stairs to the apartment. She didn’t know these people, or Ridge, to whom she had somehow become connected. Nobody followed. She gazed down and saw Ridge at the bar rubbing his temple. They had shared so much in a short space of time but were so far apart.

  She moved to close the door to the apartment to seal out the world. It slammed before she could touch it. Nicole stared at her hands, but they appeared normal. It must have been a draft making it slam. She sensed that wasn’t true as the pins and needles in her fingertips changed to a stinging sensation. She held her arms out in front of her. Sparks arced between her hands. Whatever was happening to her, she couldn’t contain it. Before she could call out for help her left hand lashed out and pictures fell from walls crashing to the floor. She held her hand to her abdomen, but the pain rippled through her fingers giving the impression they would split apart.

  She had to focus on something before she hurt herself or someone else. “Ridge.” She managed to get his name out, but it was little more than a whimper and no one came. Glasses, there was a whole cabinet of them in the kitchen. She managed to grab three heavy tumblers before her knees gave out. She slid to the floor and leant up against the counter. She kept molding the glass, even though her hands were being ripped to shreds and blood dripped onto her jeans.

  There was a face next to her, a smiling white haired older woman she didn’t know. “I’m Frieda. I’ve called him, he is coming. Don’t worry about the glasses. It is good what you have done. They were ugly and you make them pretty.”

  There was a little elephant made of glass in front of her. It was exquisite and somehow she knew she’d made it, even if she couldn’t remember. Her fingers still ached with sparks flying between them.

  Her hand went into spasm and lightning curved towards the large potted plant on the far side of the room. It exploded sending dirt and foliage everywhere. Ridge was in front of her and others followed him, including a scantily clad redhead.

  “Get her out of here,” he yelled as he placed his hand against Nicole’s chest. “Let it go. I’ll take it. You won’t hurt me.”

  If she was hurting him he didn’t show it, he just kept gazing at her and offering reassurance. Her face in comparison was screwed up in pain as she pushed back against the counter. If he could just take some of the agony away she would never yell at him again. Her body shook uncontrollably and her vision blurred but he didn’t move. The power was building and would explode out of her chest and kill him. It was torment to try and get air into her lungs. All she wanted was to rid herself of the suffering, but she didn’t know how. Ridge placed his hand on her face. It was cool against her hot skin. She leant into it for relief.

  “We’re connected. Let our minds join and I’ll take the pain. If you die, I die.”

  He was in her mind and the pain lessened immediately. His hand on her chest shone like a neon light as her shaking reduced. Tears of relief flowed down her cheeks as she gazed into his eyes. Kind eyes showing none of his annoyance from earlier, but genuine fear for her. They were strangers who didn’t really know anything much about each other. Yet she could sense in his mind his thoughts of protection towards her, and that he considered he had failed her in some way.

  Her body shuddered when the energy flowed out of her and into him. He took his hand away from her face and his mind closed off again.

  “I suppose this means we’re stuck with each other if we’re to sort this out?” she said, finally breathing comfortably again.

  “It appears that way. Listen I’ve only known you a short while, and I know you don’t like being told what to do, which makes two of us, but you need to rest. You’ve had about four hours sleep and your bodies taken a beatin’ in more ways than one.”

  “I’m not going to fight you on that one.”

  He lifted her into his arms and she rested her head on his shoulder. She could smell the scotch on his breath when he bent his head down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. She needed answers, but she needed rest more. Leaning into his embrace she relaxed, and was almost asleep by the time he carried her to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and went to move away, but she grabbed his hand. He sat down beside her and smoothed her hair as she drifted off to sleep. At this moment she couldn’t cope with being alone.

  She thought the last face she would see as sleep overcame her was Ridge. She was wrong. Sayell’s half-eaten face was in her mind like he was standing before her.

  “Your mind is mine, Nicole. You can rest for now. Then you must come to me. Peter’s life depends upon it.”

  Chapter 6

  The Rejected

  Gabriel tried in vain to push down his anger, but his chest tightened and his teeth clamped together at the injustice of it all. To have been denied the possibility of leaving the seminary a priest was cruel. His life’s dream stripped away, but he could still pray every night. No one could take his connection with God from him. Not his fathe
r, nor the powers in the church. He would prove them all wrong.

  He sat on his bed and glanced across at his altar. It was small and simple, but would suffice. One day soon he would convert the barn and open his own church. He would have followers who would recognize the true significance of his presence in the world. A smile came to his lips. He appreciated the irony; his father would have hated him doing such a thing on his beloved ranch.

  Kneeling in front of the altar, Gabriel ran his fingers over the beads of his rosary. They were smooth expensive, perfect pearls, and yet they appeared to have the texture of broken glass cutting into his fingertips.

  “God, I’m your servant. I believe in you where others doubt.” He kissed the beads even though it made his lips sting.

  “I’ve seen your messengers in my visions in the form of angels, and seen Lucifer’s demons. I know you have a path for me. Let tonight be the time for change.” Gabriel placed the rosary over his head.