“Very good, little girl. I won’t underestimate you again.”
“Don’t call me a little girl,” she snapped. Little implied weak, and she refused to be weak.
He didn’t give her time to put space between them as he brought his sword up to meet hers. Sometimes she deflected it, but most times not. But with each repetitive step, she learned to focus on his eyes while keeping his feet in her peripheral vision. She never got the opportunity to hit him again, but she came close several times.
“I knew I should’ve left you here on her first day,” Mikel said, drawing Sara’s attention away from David.
He took advantage of the distraction, slamming his sword against her shield. She stumbled backwards and glared at him.
“Can we be done for a minute?”
“If you insist,” he replied. “But I was just getting warmed up.”
He winked at her, and she noticed a softening of his features. His stern look turned mischievous as he smiled. She returned the expression.
“Thank you for beating the hell out of me,” she quipped. Her shield vanished, and she dropped the sword to her side.
“It was my pleasure.”
Sara laughed at his dramatic bow.
“I believe you may have a little warrior blood,” he said as he stood. “With more practice, you might actually be a challenge.” The humor in his eyes removed any thoughts of an implied insult. He was much more skilled than she.
“If I could have created a real weapon, I would have shown you a real challenge.” She raised her chin at him and smiled. “I don’t know why I was the only one restricted by rules.”
“Can you summon a weapon?” Mikel asked, his voice hopeful.
She turned to him and saw the curiosity etched on his face. Rather than answer his question, she focused on the churning light in her chest, and it flared immediately. Her thoughts turned to Darian. He’d taught her what it was and how to use it, and she hadn’t even thanked him. She dropped the training sword at her feet and imagined his beautiful daggers. Two replicas of light formed in her hands. She needed to get a grip on her new role, then she could sort her emotions. Yeah, right. “That’s amazing!” Adalina’s voice broke Sara’s concentration, and the weapons vanished.
“Those were Darian’s, were they not?” Mikel asked, still looking at her empty hands as he approached her.
“Yes.” She created them again and wrapped her hands around the hilts.
“Are they as strong as your shields?” he asked.
Sara shrugged. “I’m not sure. Darian and I just figured out how to make it happen a couple hours ago.”
“And where is your Watcher now?” Mikel asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. Her mind reached for him automatically, and she pulled it back, but not quick enough. His thread lingered at the edge of her senses. She looked around the arena but didn’t see him. He was there. She could feel him.
“Let’s test those weapons, then,” Mikel suggested.
She looked down at her daggers, and they vanished once more. Sadness and resignation flooded her, weighing her down with its intensity. Was that hers or her Watcher’s emotions making her arms feel heavy and her knees sag?
“I think I need a break,” she mumbled.
Silence drifted across the arena. She knew everyone was staring at her;she could feel their eyes on her.
“Come on, little girl. We’ll get some real food at the barracks.” David’s voice broke the tension, and she allowed him to lead her away.
He opened the door to a large wooden structure, and she realized she’d never been inside. How many times had she walked by without even considering it? As soon as she entered, her mouth dropped open. She walked into a large open space lined with small seating areas. The over-stuffed chairs created perfect half circles with low tables in the center. Large ceiling fans circled slowly overhead, constantly moving the air around her. A dozen doors lined each side of the room, most of them closed, but a couple stood open, revealing the sleeping quarters inside.
At the end of the open space was an enormous industrial style kitchen. A granite-topped bar separated the kitchen from the rest of the room, and several bar stools ran along its length.
Eva and Stephen hovered over a large pot on the stove. As Sara got closer to the bar, the smell of beef stew assaulted her nose.
“Why don’t we have this at the house?” she asked. “And how does this building still have electricity?”
Stephen chuckled. “There is normally no one at Darian’s place, so no need to keep a stocked kitchen,” he replied. “And we have solar panels.”
Sara looked over at Eva, who at least had the courtesy to blush.
“You knew this and never told me?” Sara asked, waving her arms at the kitchen, food, and electricity. “All I’ve been eating is that damn peanut butter!”
“We really haven’t had a lot of time together, Sara,” Eva said.
“Whatever.” Sara held her hand in the air like a juvenile, and Eva laughed. “So, why isn’t everyone using solar panels? Having hot water in our house would be amazing. I’m really tired of cold showers.”
David provided the answer as Stephen pulled several bowls from a nearby cabinet.
“We haven’t had the panels for more than a decade,” he explained. “It’s not like we could run power lines up here. And we’re so used to functioning without them, it isn’t that inconvenient. You’ve probably noticed that most of our buildings are designed to take advantage of the constant breeze and ever-present sunshine.”
“That still doesn’t explain why this is the only building with power,” Sara insisted.
“We have to balance the amount of power used with the amount generated. The batteries used to store the power are not ideal.” He paused, drumming his fingers on the marble counter. “It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to acquire a lot of perishable foods from here on out, so we really only need one cold storage. It made sense to leave the freezers running here in the barracks since most of the food is consumed here. And with the restricted airflow in this building, having the fans running makes the heat more bearable.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” It was logical, but Sara was still dreading her next icy cold shower.
Eva placed a bowl of steaming stew in front of Sara and her stomach rumbled. She took the first bite and moaned with delight.
“I’m eating here every day.”
“Then you better sign up to cook,” Stephen said as he sat down on the stool next to her.
“Deal!” she said enthusiastically. “I’ll do anything as long as I don’t have to eat any more peanut butter.”
Chapter 35
Darian
From his perch on the farthest bench, Darian watched his Sentinel walk away with David at her side. He remained concealed even though he felt her poking at his mind. He hadn’t wanted her to know the extent of his emotional constipation, but she forced it from him. He felt like a creepy predator, stalking after his unwitting prey. Except she was no longer unwitting and would most definitely run. Maybe he’d get lucky and she’d attack instead. That’d be easier to deal with.
It’s not like he could hurt her. Yeah, right. He already had by allowing her to see his true feelings.
He’d tried to go to the plateau and burn off steam, but he didn’t last very long. His thoughts constantly returned to her. He needed to be able to focus on the war that was certainly coming, but he couldn’t get past his need for her. The bonding only made it worse. At least before she joined the Council, he could separate his feelings and do his job. But now, every part of his job involved her.
“So, Darian,” Adalina’s voice drawled. “Are you going to tell us what happened?”
He released his concealment and rose from the bench. “No,” Darian replied. “What did you find in England?”
“The hospital in Dover was a tomb,” she replied, turning around to face him as he eased down onto the bench behind her. “But the rest of town was abandoned.
It’s possible they boarded the ships that were docked at the pier in an effort to escape.”
“That means there are ships floating in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere.” He didn’t finish the statement. They all knew what the toxin did to those exposed to it.
“London was the same as every other major city. If there were survivors, we didn’t find them.” She looked over at Mikel. “But we also didn’t find any signs of demons. The bombs and toxins seemed to affect the entire island.”
“And the neighboring islands?” Darian asked. “What about Ireland?”
Adalina shook her head. “We went back to Calais to ensure the survivors from the ferries were okay. They’d started cleaning up the dead bodies, and we helped them create a pyre to burn them. The survivors were from everywhere, not just northern France.” She rubbed her temples and sighed. “According to one man, hundreds of families fled Germany in their cars until the EMP disabled them. The demons pursued them all the way to the coast. At first, it was only a few demons, but the farther they went, the larger the army of death grew.”
“Is it possible we killed most of the demons in Europe?” Darian asked, glancing between Adalina and Mikel. His thoughts went to his estate in Germany; he needed to check on the people there.
“I’d like to think so, but I doubt it,” Mikel replied. “We still haven’t seen Orin and Victoria.”
“We need to find them before they find us unprepared,” Darian stated.
“If Raphael’s assumptions about their strength are correct, then we aren’t prepared,” Mikel argued. “Sara is progressing very quickly, much more than I thought she would, but she isn’t ready for the battle that’s coming.”
“You can’t make her into something she isn’t,” Darian retorted, her intrusion into his memory still fresh and raw. “She’s not a weapon for us to use. I don’t know if her heart is capable of enduring the pain that comes with killing another human being. You know as well as I do that the death of a demon is completely different than the death of a person.” He rubbed his hands through his hair and looked towards the barracks. “I saw her heart today. It’s already broken.”
“Walk with me, Darian,” Mikel said.
Darian looked at him with unconcealed irritation. “I don’t need a lecture, Mikel. I understand what we’re facing and why.”
“But you don’t understand the woman you’re bonded to,” Mikel argued.
“No, not at all.” Darian chuckled, but there was no humor in it. He stood and joined Mikel as they walked away from the arena.
Once they were away from the others, Mikel looked at Darian. “I assume you tried to share your strength and test her control with it earlier?”
“Yes, that part went fairly well, actually,” Darian replied. “She recognized when she should stop drawing power from me.”
“What part didn’t go well?” Mikel asked as they passed by the hospital and strolled down the paved walk between the houses.
“I thought I could control the barrier on my mind and keep her from seeing things I didn’t want her to see.”
Mikel laughed, and Darian glared at him.
“It was not amusing,” Darian growled. “What started as her memory of her wedding ended as my memory of it. We had two completely different views of that day.”
“There is no way to keep her out, Darian,” Mikel said with an apologetic look. “That works both ways. If you truly want to see what’s in her mind, she can’t stop you. And it has nothing to do with any telepathic ability she might have.”
“There are things I don’t want her to know, Mikel.” Darian’s voice started to rise, and he took a deep breath. “She isn’t ready for what the bond is doing to us. And I’m not ready for her to know the amount of death I’ve dealt out to protect her.”
“That is not your choice, Darian.” Mikel stopped in front of the small garden with the dove fountain. “All you can do is ask her to respect your mind. Based on what I’ve learned about her in the last few days, I believe she will.”
Darian looked at the water cascading across the dove’s stone wings. Mikel was right, of course. He always was.
“I thought it might be a good idea to take her to one of our safehouses to see what her mind does around people who don’t have Raphael’s protective wards,” Darian said, changing the subject. “I’ve read enough books about telepathy to know that voices that don’t belong in someone’s head can make them crazy.”
“It would be a good idea to test it in a controlled environment,” Mikel agreed. “Calais would probably be the safest place right now. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, I need to be able to control my emotions. I can’t help her if I’m acting like an idiot.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Mikel said. “Everything will happen the way it’s supposed to.”
“Okay, sure,” Darian replied, dragging out the last word. “If you say so.” If fate relied on him, they were all in trouble.
Chapter 36
Seraphina
An overbearing weight settled on Sara’s shoulders as she sat at the bar. She knew it was Darian without having to turn around to see him. It was a little unnerving, but not as much as her mind immediately racing towards him. She pulled it back with effort. She didn’t want to know what he was thinking.
“Hey, boss. Want some food?” Stephen asked.
Sara looked over at the scout. He never seemed to be perturbed. She wished she could take everything in stride the way he did. Maybe after another fifty years she’d accomplish that level of nonchalance.
“No, thanks,” Darian replied, stopping just behind Sara.
She could smell his cologne mixed with a hint of the ocean. She chased the last bit of gravy with her spoon, refusing to acknowledge him. While his emotions were as plain as day, hers were like a tornado. She had no idea which way they would turn next.
“I think we have stuff to do, don’t we, Stephen?” Eva’s voice broke the uncomfortable silence.
“No, it's fine,” Sara said. “I know he’s here for me. I won’t make the rest of you leave.”
Sara slid off her stool and took the bowl to the sink on the other side of the counter, managing to avoid looking at him. She knew it was childish, but she didn’t want to see the pain she’d felt earlier.
Darian was already walking towards the door when she finished washing out her bowl.
“Wow, it must’ve been really bad,” Eva whispered.
Tears pooled in Sara’s eyes, and she blinked them away. She would not cry. She’d already done enough of that, and her Watcher’s emotions shouldn’t elicit tears.
“I saw his view of my wedding,” Sara whispered back.
Understanding washed over Eva’s face, the same look she gave Darian in his memory. “I don’t think he has any choice in how he feels, Sara. Don’t be hard on him.”
“Hard on him?” Sara asked, not trying to lower her voice. “It would be easier for me if I didn’t have a choice. If I could automatically love him the way he obviously loves me, none of this would be an issue.” She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter though, because that’s not the reality we’ve been given.”
She turned her back on the three people at the bar and followed her Watcher outside. Darian waited for her just outside the door. If he heard her conversation with Eva, he didn’t mention it. His face was devoid of any emotion, and it hurt her more than the naked feelings that were there earlier.
“I need to check on our safe houses.” He kept his face turned towards the arena, rather than at her. “I’m hoping some of our supplies are salvageable, and more importantly, to find out if any of the staff living there survived.”
“Okay,” she replied. She didn’t want to argue with him. He’d been a gentleman with her despite the emotions she now knew.
Rather than take her hand as he had so many times in the last couple of days, he rested his palm on her shoulder and teleported them. She should’ve we
lcomed the distance, but the gesture hurt more than she wanted to admit.
They arrived in a vast open plain. The tall grasses swayed in the breeze, and short, sprawling trees cast broad shadows beneath them. The hot sun beat down on her dark hair, sweat immediately beading on her brow.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Central Australia,” Darian replied. “The house is just over that rise. I didn’t want to travel directly there for, well, for several reasons.”
Now she understood the two sides of her Watcher. The one that needed to get the job done and the one that fought against his affection for her. She needed to try harder to accept her new role or leave.
“I understand,” she said. “It could be a pile of rubble, or we could be met by a group of demons.”
He looked at her, his brow furrowed. She glanced at his blue eyes and immediately looked away. Even in that short moment, she felt his rolling emotions.
He growled, and she barked a sharp laugh, clapping a hand over her mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she struggled not to smile. She knew it was silly but couldn’t help herself.
“You used to growl all the time,” she said. “I didn’t realize you’d stopped until just now.”
“And you find it amusing?” he asked.
“Kind of.” She looked at his mouth, knowing his eyes would give away his thoughts. His lips twitched. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone growl without it sounding absurd, but when you do it, it’s actually convincing.”
“You do realize it’s from frustration, not amusement?”
“Of course, I do, but it doesn’t make it any less amazing.” She caught his eyes and smiled. “I’m not amused by your frustration, just amazed at your ability to show it effectively. I usually just lose the filter between my mouth and brain. But you’re able to channel yours into a very convincing growl.” She shrugged. “Shall we continue to the house?”
She was determined to make this work. Even if she couldn’t return the depth of his emotion, she could be his partner. She would be supportive and understanding and do what she needed to defeat the evil that brought them together.
Sentinel's Rise: Book 1 - The Watcher and the Sentinel Series Page 22
