by Kelly Gay
Envisioning a slamming door, I severed the link, releasing a controlled breath and returning my attention back to Llyran. He was telling the truth about not harming my family. Was he also telling the truth about the rest of his statement, that he only killed for reason and motive? He knew about the warehouse murders. Was he the killer, an accomplice, or was he just taking credit?
“What do you want, Llyran?”
I was completely bare. No weapons. No way out. My grip on the razor tightened. His outline moved beyond the white shower curtain, pacing from one end of the floor to the other.
Llyran ignored the question as though I hadn’t uttered a word. “I suppose you’re wondering what I’m doing here in your bathroom.”
“That, and how the hell you got into my house.” My mind scrambled for a plan, any plan, but I didn’t have much to work with, unless stabbing him with the blunt edge of a Wonder Smooth Vibrating Razor was a plan.
“Oh, that part was easy, Charlie. I can mask myself … make myself into an undetectable wisp of air. You can’t see me, smell me, sense me … until it’s too late.” His outline stopped at the sink, his height, slumping somewhat, giving me the impression that he was leaning back on the countertop.
“So you broke into my house just to tell me that?” I reached for the bar of soap with my other hand. If he came for me, it was going right into his eye. Might give me a chance to make it to the bedroom and the night table drawer where I kept an extra set of weapons.
Small clinks and movement echoed above the shower spray. The faint scent of my perfume reached my nose, and I knew the creepy bastard was going through my things, examining my toiletries, picking them up, setting them back down. “Nice,” he muttered. “You see, the thing is, Charlie, you and I are a lot alike. Unique. Determined. Powerful. We both kill for reasons we believe in.”
“I’m not a murdering sonofabitch.”
“Necessary evils,” he said simply. Another glass bottle clinked onto the marble countertop. “I came to make you an offer, Detective …”
My fists tightened around my so-called weapons. The soap shot from my grip and hit the shower wall with a loud bang. Shit.
Okay, calm down.
He was here. The shock was over. My weapons were stupid, and I had to concentrate. I closed my eyes and began to focus, to seek out the Elysian part of me that I was just learning how to use.
“Let me inside of your mind, and I’ll stop playing badly with others.”
I swiped away water from my face, my focus momentarily interrupted. “What?”
“It’s simple. I can’t promise it won’t hurt, but you give me access to that pretty little head of yours, and if I find what I need, I’ll leave the city.”
His words made me cringe. Llyran was not getting anywhere near my brain. “Stop killing? Just like that?”
The shower had turned lukewarm, but I’d started to shake as though it was freezing, taking a small step back so the spray hit below my thighs, totally baffled that Llyran had invaded my home to make me a deal. A freaking deal. I almost laughed. History proved I sucked at making deals.
I rubbed a hand down my face and tried to focus again while keeping him talking. “Why don’t you just take what you want?”
“It’s just easier this way.”
Focus, Charlie. Focus on the light. You know it’s there. It’s there in your blood, in every part of you, just waiting for you to say the word.
The small drops of water that bounced off my skin began to hover. I no longer felt chilled because the warm vibration of power began to hum through me, growing, strengthening, becoming attuned to my thoughts and my wishes. If I could keep him here long enough to gather my strength, I had a shot at ending his playtime for good.
“Well?” he asked.
“You know what I think, Llyran? I think you’re a schizophrenic sicko with a massive ego problem. I’m surprised you even got into my house with a head as big as yours.”
I let my hands fall to my sides, still gripping the razor, and closed my eyes, completely immersed in the thrumming line of power that ran through me, like a live wire just waiting for a signal.
Visualize your thoughts. Give direction to your power.
And … now!
The bathroom door slammed shut as the spray of the shower amplified, directing outward and blowing out the shower curtain. It flew straight for Llyran’s shadowy form, covering him. He cursed and flailed, struggling to remove it and slipping on the wet floor as the water swirled around the room.
His surprise would only last a second. I stepped onto the ledge of the shower and then dove at his curtain-covered body. We both went down to the wet floor, sliding to the wall. Elbows, legs, and shower curtain flailed. I absorbed the pain of random jabs and punches, trying my damnedest to wrap him tighter in the curtain. He growled, shoving me off. I spun across the tile and slammed into the wall.
Llyran tore the curtain away and sat up, furious. And there I was, on the floor, naked, the razor gone, both hands flat on the tile, sitting on my hip, facing him, my breath coming hard and fast. My eyes bored into his as I tried to gather my power again.
His red hair was in disarray, but the sight of him awed me just the same, despite the fact that I knew what he was, what he was capable of doing to another living being. He was a mass murderer masquerading in the gorgeous body of a Viking angel, his heart as black as iron.
He blinked, obviously shocked by the sight of me. But his aura practically glowed; he could unleash his own gifts any time he wanted.
“You are remarkable, Charlie.”
I sat back and angled slightly, so he only had a side view as his gaze flicked to my breasts. Asshole.
“Why are you killing Elysians?”
“Because it is necessary to my cause.”
I cocked my head. Daya had mentioned a cause. “And that would be?” My hip was starting to hurt. I’d have to move soon.
He pushed to his feet, his black tunic and jeans soaked, shaking the water from his red hair. His blue eyes were so light they appeared almost white. He smiled again as I copied his movement, pushing to my feet and standing—hell if I was going to sit on the floor while he stood over me.
Being bare like this, having to endure his blatant ogling, brought the dark power of Charbydon coursing through my veins. So easy and swift to rise, this dark energy of mine.
A ruddy eyebrow cocked and he grinned. “I have to admit I didn’t think I’d be seeing this much of you … so soon, anyway.”
“What is it with you Adonai? Not every female is going to fall down at your feet.”
A perverse smile tugged his generous mouth. “They all bend in the end, Charlie. And we hardly have to lift a finger. That’s why, when someone like you comes along, it makes the chase … thrilling.”
A shiver shot up my spine, but I kept from flinching. “Is that what this is, a chase? Let me tell you something, you fucking scumbag, not a single thing about you appeals to me on any level. I hunt and destroy degenerates like you on a regular basis, and I love my job.”
A deep, disappointed sigh whispered through his lips. “I know.”
Let’s see how he liked a little Charbydon justice.
I drew the power from every part of my body, sucking it into a tight ball in the center of my chest and then sending the dark energy surging down my arms. I clapped my hands together, forcing the power into a single bolt aimed straight toward Llyran’s chest. Rex taught me that one.
The Adonai tensed, his eyes narrowing. Just before it hit him, his big hand whipped out and snagged the bolt. He flicked his wrist, slinging the energy backward like a whip. The bolt wrapped around me, and then Llyran gave a big yank.
I screamed, slamming into him, blinking in shock at how he’d grabbed my power. Grabbed it. I still had so much to learn. He tried to seize my wrists, but I slapped and kicked, able to evade a firm hold because of my slippery skin.
For whatever reason, he wasn’t using his powers, and I wasn’t comp
laining.
His curses filled the air as he lost balance and slipped, landing on his ass, his back against the tub. Finally he got hold of both my wrists, my stomach pressed flat against his chest and kept there by the fact that he held my arms wide, straight out on either side of me.
And then it started. The push at my mind. I cried out, shuddering at the searing violation as his will shoved its way into my head, too powerful for me to stop.
I never had a chance.
Completely immobile, I was caught like some terror-frozen animal as pieces and images of my memories flashed before me—the most stunning, unique pain I’d ever felt. The images slowed on Mynogan, on the night I’d killed him, sucked the blood from his body, and then he went deeper into those images I’d had during that horrible moment, as though I’d been inside Mynogan, inside the monster.
Please stop. Please stop.
The desire to fold in on myself—to curl into a ball and rock, to scream and deny what was happening—tore through me. My chest was on fire with the scream, with the denial until, finally, it physically burst from me, making Llyran pull back and out of my mind.
My nose was inches from his face and I was panting hard, disoriented and weak.
“Well, well, well … The more I learn about you, Charlie, the more I’m intrigued. You have great power in you. Great … potential. I believe my plans have just changed. In the end, we’ll see exactly what you’re made of.” His eyes took on a fanatical glow. “In the meantime, I’m going to cut a path across your dark city until the streets bleed red. My next one will be just for you.”
“No,” I said, “there won’t be a next one, you bastard.”
I reared back, gritted my teeth, and slammed my forehead into his face, hoping I was strong enough to cause some damage. Pain shot through my skull, but he released my wrists, cursing. He shoved me so hard that I slipped off him and slid back across the tile on my bare bottom as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Llyran’s hand covered his nose. Then he closed his eyes and began chanting. The air changed, making the hairs on my body stand, even the wet ones.
The bathroom window smashed in, the stained glass panes shattering. I covered my head as glass rained down … and then my attention was snagged by the wind. The lamppost outside the window illuminated the darkness whirling overhead.
A small tendril of darkness snaked downward, enchanted by Llyran’s summoning.
My eyes widened in total disbelief at the realization of what I was seeing, what it meant.
Llyran could manipulate the darkness. Fuck.
I panicked; any power I had was completely lost. The only thing left was physical strength and that was waning fast. The darkness snaked its way through the window. I leaned over, grabbing Llyran’s hand.
Just as I went to sink my teeth into his skin, the bathroom door crashed open. Instinct sent my arms over my head in a protective gesture. Beneath my shielding arm, a streak of charcoal arced over my body—a red-eyed, snarling mass that went straight for Llyran’s throat.
Brimstone.
Pieces of wood rained down on me, the lighter ones sticking to my wet skin as the hellhound’s front claws slammed into its target, sinking deeply into Llyran’s chest, piercing his shirt. The beast’s sharp fangs clamped the right corner of Llyran’s neck.
A high-pitched, scalding scream tore from Llyran’s throat, his concentration completely broken. The darkness recoiled from the window as his irises turned from black to a burning, furious blue that latched onto me for a second before the darkness surged back through the window in a storm of wind and gray, enveloped him, and yanked him up and out in a blur.
Gone.
My entire body trembled. I swallowed, slowly reaching up and pulling down a towel from the rack on the wall behind me while Brimstone rooted around the spot where Llyran had just been, confused that his prey had suddenly vanished. The towel flopped down and I held it in front of me, the end under my chin, as Brim stepped over, sniffed my ankle and calf, and then my head where he licked my forehead with his fat, slobbery tongue.
“Mom!” Emma ducked through the massive hole in the door, kneeling down next to me, her arms going around my shoulders. “Oh my God. Are you okay? What happened?”
My hand came up, closed on her arm, and squeezed. Her skin was so warm. My teeth clattered. “Mmm hmm. I’m fine.”
Rex slammed into the door next, not making it through the hole, but knocking the top hinge plate off the doorframe. His momentum sent him skidding across the bathroom floor and straight into the tub, flipping ass over end into the basin. I hadn’t realized he’d been holding my gun until the shot rang out and hit the ceiling, sending bits of plaster raining down.
Rex’s shout of surprise mingled with Emma’s scream as I grabbed her, shoving her down and shielding her with the top half of my body.
Small bits of ceiling pinged the tile. The shower still ran. I released my hold on Em. “Jesus!”
I could just see the top of his wet head as it bobbed up. My gun was next as he slapped it on the rim of the tub to push himself to a sitting position. Thankfully the gun wasn’t pointed at us. I set Emma aside and lurched for the weapon, snatching it out of his hand and flicking the safety. “What the hell possessed you to get my gun?”
He blinked, sputtering out the water as it fell on him, completely dazed and pale from his somersault into the tub and the gun firing. “We heard you scream. Got Brim … Emma said … I thought …”
A few seconds of stunned silence went by.
“Mom. It’s okay.”
I took the towel from her, having dropped it when I went for my gun, and sat back down.
Our gazes went from one to another. Rex to Emma. Emma to Me. Me to Rex. And then Emma burst out laughing. It was no time for joking around, but the last few minutes, the shock of it all … I started laughing, too, and it didn’t make an ounce of sense.
Emma pointed at Rex. “You should’ve seen your face when you poked your head out of the tub.” Her giggles were contagious, but Rex seemed to be the only one who didn’t find it funny. He was still in shock.
His pale face finally grew pink. “You’re not funny,” he said, turning the water off. “Neither one of you. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He pulled himself over the ledge until he sat on the edge of the tub. “Moving in here with you crazy women.” He ran a hand down his face and then slicked his hair back off his forehead, shaking his head in disbelief. “I need a drink.” He stood and then shuffled passed us, mumbling about gun-toting women and talking hellhounds.
Once our giggles subsided, Emma slipped her arm over Brimstone’s lowered neck and hugged him. “Good boy,” she whispered, her face turning into his bald, corded neck. “He knew something was wrong. You did good, Brim, real good. Exactly like I told you.”
Brim panted, tongue lagging, totally at ease and, unless I was imagining things, leaning slightly into her. It was the way she spoke to him, the tone of her voice, that wound its way into my clearing mind and set off the five-alarm bell.
“Em …” I squeezed my eyes closed against the sudden sting of tears and swallowed hard before looking at her again. “Please don’t tell me you can communicate with him.”
Her head remained against Brim’s neck, but she turned her round, solemn eyes in my direction, looking so young and innocent, so brave and yet so scared. “I was going to tell you …” Her small voice held a faint edge of defense. “But I knew you’d get all freaked out and—”
“Here’s your robe. You want to tell us what happened, Charlie?” Rex interrupted from the doorway, holding out the cotton robe I hardly ever used.
Brimstone jogged through the doorway and into the bedroom as Emma helped me to my feet. I snatched the robe, turned away from Rex, dropped the towel, and covered myself. Then I made careful steps over the floor, avoiding the sharp splinters of wood and glass. Once on the bedroom carpet, I stopped to brush off the pieces that stuck to the soles of my feet.
&n
bsp; “Just got paid an unexpected visit by someone I met once. It’s nothing.”
“I wouldn’t call breaking into a warded house and destroying the bathroom ‘nothing.’ Unless you want us to believe you two were just showing off powers. You know, like”—he used a deep Arnold Schwarzenegger voice—“‘my powers are bigger than yours’ …”
I shot Rex a glower. “That’s exactly what it was.”
He rolled his eyes and whistled to Brim. “Come on, mutt. Let’s get that drink. A Valium would be nice …”
“There’s some in the medicine cabinet!” I yelled after him, making sure the sarcasm was clear. “Take as much as you want!”
Once the door was closed, I removed the robe, some of the wood pieces falling off my back and shoulder. My skin had dried, so Emma helped brush the remaining debris off my back. I had the shakes, bad, and couldn’t control it.
“What have I said for the past two months?” When she didn’t respond, I answered for her. “At the first sign or gut instinct of trouble, you run for your room and lock the door.”
She gave a guilty shrug and asked, “So what happened?”
I slumped on the edge of the mattress in defeat, still achy in my head and not ever wanting to revisit the horror of having someone violate my mind. “I don’t know, Em. He appeared in the bathroom—don’t ask me how—wanted to chat, and I wanted him out. How long have you been communicating with Brim?”
“He tried to kill you?”
I shook my head, unnerved by that question coming out of my kid’s mouth. “No, Em. He didn’t try to kill me. He wanted me to listen, and I didn’t want to.”
