by April Zyon
She watched him. Then she looked forward once more and frowned. She cocked her head to the side as she tried to make out the shadows moving toward them. Rolling down the window, she got Demaratus’s attention. “DC, I think something’s not right,” she whispered, hoping she was wrong.
“I see it, little warrior. Go into my contacts. Call Mercury. Tell him we have trouble, give our location, and then roll up the windows. Do not get out of the vehicle for any reason at all. Lock all the doors except for the driver’s side,” he told her in a perfectly calm, nonchalant tone.
“Demaratus. I don’t like that you’re putting yourself out there. But I’ll do what you said.” Because she wasn’t much of a fighter. She didn’t want to put herself into trouble so that he would have his attention torn from what he needed to do, which was keep himself safe.
“Trust in me,” he said quietly. “The SUV is protected. They can’t get in to you. Dial the phone, now,” he ordered in a harder tone. One of his hands crept slowly up under his jacket, toward the middle of his back.
The line picked up almost immediately. “What’s the situation?” Mercury’s deep voice came through calmly.
“There are shadows coming close to Demaratus and me. We stopped for gas, and while he was out pumping, I saw them. So far I see nothing else, and he’s standing out there alone.” Everything blurted out of her mouth so fast that it was nearly all one phrase.
“Take a calming breath, Holly. You’re my eyes and ears out there. Have you locked the SUV down?” he asked. His voice was muffled as he said something to someone else. “What do you see right now? Is it still just shadows, or are you seeing shapes yet?”
“Still just shadows, but Demaratus is standing there still as a statue, with his hand on something at his back. I have the truck locked except for the driver’s side like he asked me to do.” She was panting, fear living and breathing inside of her. “I don’t like this. What do I do to help him?”
“You are helping him by staying exactly where you are. The evil can sense the vestal virgins. They can track you and eventually narrow down where you are. In the vehicle, you are partially shielded, so it’s screwing with what they think they know. If you get out, they will instantly turn their entire focus on you, and he’ll have to fight for both of your lives. Stay still, stay calm, and do whatever he tells you.
“As long as they’re only shadows they’re far enough away that the danger is minimal. If he’s filling the tank, it’s because he knows as well as I do that you’re going to be making a run for it very soon and won’t have another chance. You can do this, Holly. You’re strong, and you will remain strong for him. Right now, he’s entirely focused on the threat close by. Don’t make him split his focus to worrying about you, too.”
“I’m trying. I’m not stupid enough to step foot outside of this vehicle.” She was a coward. She hated herself for it, but Mercury was right. She needed to keep her head in order to help keep Demaratus safe. “So, I guess that means the reservations I made for the honeymoon suite are out of the question.” She tried to tease, but failed miserably.
“Unfortunately, you would be correct. It’s a very bad idea to stop anywhere you know the evil happens to be for any longer than necessary. You’re doing great, Holly. This isn’t easy. The hardest part of any confrontation, or battle, is the wait before the action begins. But the truly patient man, or woman, often is the one who comes out the strongest in the end.”
The driver’s door opened, and Demaratus slid inside. Leaning over, he kissed her gently. “Breathe, little warrior,” he whispered. Holly placed the phone on speaker so that Demaratus could hear what Mercury was saying and vice versa. “Merc, I’m getting us out of here and on the road. I’m guessing we’re going to have some company. Only good news is that I don’t see Billy with them, otherwise they would have attacked. These are scouts only, and not very bright ones, from what I can tell.”
“Good to know. Get moving, and I’ll touch back in fifteen once I have the helicopter up in the air to come give you a little backup should it be necessary.” The phone went dead in her hand as Demaratus started the SUV and pulled slowly out of the station.
Holly reached out and slipped her hand into his. “Billy the Kid, right?” she asked. “I read about him. He was a nasty bit of work when he was alive, so I can’t even begin to imagine just how terrible he is now.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Billy was always a little unbalanced, even before he died and was brought back with the medallion. For a while, Mercury thought he’d have to remove it and let the man go, but then Billy got things sorted out and calmed. Toward the end, though, he was definitely going wild once more. Unfortunately, hindsight is twenty-twenty, but in the moment, it was nowhere as clear. Too bad that James’s shot went just a millimeter to the left, or that bastard would be gone forever.”
“Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t have known that at the time. Right? I mean, if you think about it, Mercury has had a lot dumped in his lap through all of this. How could he have known who to accept into the guardians?” She wondered if she could put together a program that could take into account service in the military or police forces, psych profiles, and so on. She had to focus on what she knew, which certainly wasn’t fighting.
“Considering when he started recruiting, it wasn’t like he could call up the local police station to get a background check on any of us.” She noticed that Demaratus watched the mirrors but stayed well within the posted speed limits. “He had to go with his gut and what the locals told him. Then he had to watch out for each of us until we got through the first month or two to see if we could handle the fact that we’d been brought back. For the older ones like myself, Gaius, Alexander, and Jason, it wasn’t quite the stretch, since we already believed in the gods and goddesses. In our minds, they held the power over life and death.”
She licked her lips. “And now, do you still believe?”
“Of course,” he said. “They did exist, and still do, to some degree. But without their power structures of true believers, they no longer have the same hold over the earth as they once did. They all still have power, just not the sort that can bring about fire raining from the skies or continents splitting in half. Except for the Dark Lord. He’s the only one with the power to do all of that, and enslave the entire human race, because he has a legion of believers fighting for him to be free.
“It’s why we fight and why we are sworn to keep the VV’s safe and out of his hands. Too many fall into the hands of evil, and they are used as a key. So far, we’ve managed to keep the evil from claiming enough to do his bidding. But we’ve never managed to claim all thirteen for our side, either. It’s our hope that we can manage it one day and put a halt to him for good. At least that’s the running theory, which may be more myth than truth.”
“Fabulous,” she said with a shake of her head. “So you have a crazy man with incredible power, who’s able to do whatever he wants, and the only thing keeping him in check is the man I love and his friends? I’m not liking this at all.”
“And a goddess. Technically, she’s currently unavailable and has been for a while, but she’s still out there somewhere. I hope she is anyway. I have a feeling that this time around is different for us. Can’t really say why, but I have this hunch that if we screw this one up there won’t be another chance.”
“Well, it’s a good thing that you have me on your side. I’ll do everything I possibly can in order to make sure we succeed. I want to have a very, very long life with you.”
“I know you will, little warrior.” He gave her a warm look and squeezed her fingers. “Our biggest problem is tracking and finding the rest of the VV’s. The other side seems to have found a way to clue into them. We think it’s when the VV’s use their ability in a way that’s heavily tied to their emotions. Can’t really prove that theory, and we have no idea how they’re doing it, but I’m betting someone on their team has an innate ability to track abilities. Or something like that. Either way, w
e have to find them first, before they’re corrupted by evil. And we need to come out heavy on that thirteen. With you, we’re at six, not nearly enough to stem this newest battle for good.”
“I wonder if there’s a way I can work out a program to look for them. Perhaps I can get a profile from talking to the other women at the base. I know Helen had the basis of one, but now maybe I can tweak it?”
“It’s your department now, Holly. Any help you can offer us is a good thing. Normally, we follow rumors or news stories because that’s all we’ve ever had. Finding a solid lead is hard in this day and time because of all the conspiracy folks out there.”
“Well, I’ll see what I can do. It would be nice to find the women before those monsters get to them.” She had only seen them from afar, but it was more than enough to terrify her. “I don’t want any of the men to lose out on a chance at what the two of us have together. It’s too good.”
“I fully agree with you. No one should miss out on knowing their other half,” he said. “Do what you know how to do, and we’ll do the rest. For now, why don’t you cancel our reservation, then try to get a nap? We’re in the open, so we don’t both need to keep watch. And it’s full daylight out here. Most of them won’t want to come out until they have some cover.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, worry clear in her voice.
“We’re still a long way from home. You should get in a nap. In a few hours, we’ll need to stop for fuel again. Hopefully by then we’ll have our watchdog overhead to provide cover. I need you awake and alert for later. Fueling up means I have a few blind spots that you need to watch for me.”
“I will always watch over you, Demaratus. If it is within my power, I will do anything at all to keep you safe. No matter what.” She shifted slightly, leaned her head against the headrest once more, and closed her eyes. “Wake me if you need me?”
“I will, little warrior. Ease the seat back so you can relax more.” Lifting her hand, he kissed her fingers. “You’ll know if I need you, promise.” Once she was settled in, he rubbed his thumb up and down her knuckles.
The calming motions had her relaxing fully. Within moments, she was sound asleep.
Chapter Nine
The sun was in a different position when Demaratus woke her. “We’re coming into a pit stop for gas,” he told her. “You have about fifteen minutes before I pull in. There’s been no sign of anyone behind us for a while, and I just got word from the crew. From what they’re telling me, they should be overhead in the next twenty. So, we’ll have five minutes stopped all on our own. This place is just a single gas station, open field, and woods with nothing else.”
“I’ll help you.” She wiped at her eyes and yawned. “Are you okay?” He looked stressed. “What’s going on? What are you keeping from me?”
“Bad feeling,” he said. “I don’t know why, or what it is, but my gut is telling me we could be in for a nasty stop. Wake up for now, Holly. Have a few moments to get settled, and then we’ll worry. It may be nothing, but I know better than to ignore my gut. It’s kept me alive more times than it’s failed me.”
“I wish you would have woken me earlier if you thought there was trouble, honey.” The last thing she wanted was to be a hindrance to him.
“We’re still moving, so there was no need.” Reaching out, he brushed her cheek gently. “Besides, I discovered something new about you today and couldn’t resist enjoying it as long as possible. It really is cute.”
Holly leaned into his touch but frowned just a bit. “Okay, what is it? So that I know if I should be fully embarrassed or not.”
“You shouldn’t be. You were humming along to the songs on the radio. At least some of them. I’m guessing they were ones you knew. I flipped through a few stations to see what really got you going, and it was mostly rock tunes, with a few country songs as well. Almost thought you were going to start singing the one, but I was left disappointed.”
“While I was sleeping? Seriously? Good heavens, for real?” She felt like a complete idiot. She knew she was blushing because she felt her cheeks heating up. “I can’t believe that I sleep sing. Goodness gravy.”
“You hum, Holly, not sing. Personally, I find it charming. You were so relaxed and happy. There’s absolutely no reason to be so upset by this, little warrior.”
She reached out and gave Demaratus’s hand a squeeze. “I’m happy and relaxed because I have you here with me. I’m able to let my guard and walls down fully because you are with me.”
“See, no reason at all to be embarrassed. On the other hand, the backseat driving while asleep we do need to discuss. You seem to be highly opinionated about how I change lanes.”
Dear God in heaven, she even commented on his driving when she was sleeping? “Good Lord. I’ve never let down my guard enough to sleep around people, and now I’m finding that I talk, a lot. Insane. Seriously, I’ve lost my damn mind. I’m so sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Demaratus shook his head. “I’m enjoying discovering all these facets of who you are, Holly. I only wish I’d thought to start taping you sooner than I did. Oh yes, there’s a recording for us to enjoy later.”
“Wait, what?” Her eyes were wide now, and she felt ill. “Jesus. H. Christ. For real? Show me,” she demanded, grinning as she did so. “I can’t believe you filmed me.”
He pulled out his phone from the console and handed it to her. “It’s the only video on there, so you won’t have a problem finding it. I got some of the humming and even a comment from the peanut gallery.”
That had her snickering, and she shook her head. “I can’t believe I was like this. Have I done this before? Have I talked in my sleep before now?” They’d only had a short time together, but she had slept while around him.
“No, not even a peep out of you of the chatty nature. If I move, you sometimes grumble but I figured that was normal. Take a look so you believe me about this. It truly is adorable, Holly.” Shifting slightly, he shot her a quick look, with a hint of a smile on his lips.
She chewed her lower lip and laughed at herself. “Good Lord love a duck. I’m seriously out of my ever-damn-loving mind.” She had been rather bossy about his driving, that was for sure.
“I only wish I’d thought to have the video recording when I hit the rap station. I about drove into a ditch. And to think, you kiss me with that mouth.” He made a tsking sound.
“Oh Lord, what did I say? Come on, you’ve told me everything else, so tell me this. What did I say that had you nearly wrecking us?”
“This isn’t a direct quote, but I think I can give you the gist. You basically told me that if I didn’t put on some real music, you were going to tear my arm off, beat me with it, and then shove it someplace that would make my life very uncomfortable. I changed the station as soon as I had myself under control.”
“I hate rap. I guess you understand that now. I’ve never understood why people think that cussing and shouting about fucking this person or that is good music.” It was vulgar and, frankly, more than a little sexist.
“I definitely understand your point of view and support it. I was curious but will never make that mistake again. You actually scared me a little,” he said. Taking his phone back from her, he pressed a few buttons. “Where are you guys?”
“Four minutes out from your location. You at the gas station yet?” came from the speakerphone.
“Coming up on it now,” Demaratus informed.
“See you soon.”
Sighing, Demaratus slipped the cell back into the console between their seats and slowed to make the turn. Pulling up to a pump, he turned off the engine and looked to her. “Eyes open, and remember to stay inside the truck. They can’t get to you in here, and it protects you from whatever they’re using to find the VV’s.”
She nodded. She didn’t like that he would be exposed to whatever danger was waiting for them. Sure they were in a backwater town without another home, business, or anything within miles but she was te
rrified for him. Heck, there wasn’t even a camera anywhere near the business that she could see, just some yokel that seemed more concerned with the television in front of him than anything else.
“If we come under attack, I’ll be getting back inside this vehicle fast, and we’ll get out of here at record speeds. Keep the doors locked except for the driver’s side. I’ll be fine and so will you.” Leaning across the console, he hooked his hand around her neck to pull her in for a kiss.
“Good. I’m glad that you will,” she muttered. “Because I would be upset with you. At least the gas opening is on your side.” So that he would be able to quickly re-enter the vehicle.
He gave her another hard and fast kiss before slipping out. Moving swiftly, he put his credit card into the reader and was soon pumping gas. She noted he already had his hand up under his jacket as he watched everything he could see. Nervous, Holly studied the shadows on the edge of the lights from the gas station. “Come on, come on,” she whispered.
A flash of movement caught her eye. But when she turned to look, there was nothing there. Another flash of something in her periphery had her whipping her head around the other way. Then the entire truck seemed to heave sideways away from the pumps, accompanied by a loud thump and the sound of a growl.
She shouted for Demaratus, looking wildly around, but she couldn’t see him. She grabbed the phone and hit the speed dial for Mercury. “How close are you? Something is out there, and I don’t see Demaratus anymore, just this shadowy mist.”
“They’re one minute out,” he said. His voice was calm but definitely not unaffected. “Take a slow look around, Holly. Don’t focus on any one thing. Your eyes will see things your mind can’t process, and that’s fine. But I need you to tell me what’s happening. Talk to me.”
A howl seemed to rise up around the vehicle. Like a high wind rushing between buildings, mixed with the sound of a freight train whipping past. It had the SUV rocking on its wheels. A high-pitched shriek of agony and anger tore through her on a primal and instinctual level. For a moment, the air around her sizzled with electricity, and Holly struggled to stay calm so that she didn’t end up frying their only means of escape.
