by Teri Gilbert
Mallaki, looking more fearsome than ever, clothes torn and bloody, was alive. He clapped his hands slowly. “Using the magnifier to your own end. Very clever.”
Eleni’s mind reeled. How could this be? She’d killed him, stabbed him in the neck, and watched the life drain out of his black eyes. Yet he stood in front of her. “I thought...”
“You thought I was dead.” His mouth turned upward in a smile that knotted her insides.
She was in big trouble. Not able to stop the tremors quaking her body, she watched Mallaki come closer. Her gaze found the spot where she’d struck him. In place of the gaping wound was a bright red ragged scar.
“You thought Mr. Androulakis was the only healer?” Mallaki shook his head. “A dangerous presumption, my dear. My healer was summoned immediately when Naia and Litsa found me.”
Were theirs the footsteps in the hall while she and Alec were making love?
“I never thought anything would end my desire for you.” Mallaki grasped her upper arm in a steel grip and propelled her in front of him, away from the mic. “But your attempt to kill me did put a damper on my feelings.”
Eleni stood on her tiptoes to relieve some of the pressure, then swiveled her head back toward the mic. “Alec.”
Mallaki laughed. “Go ahead, call him. Watching your lover mourn you would make my day. Of course, killing him afterward, well, let’s just say that would top everything.”
Chapter 37
“Alec.” Stephanos’s voice carried over the sounds of fighting.
Alec brushed the moisture, blood or sweat, from his eyes and spotted Stephanos standing near the amplifier. Quinn and Adara were engaged in nearby battles. Both were looking worse for wear.
Stephanos gestured wildly toward the pair. Alec had to help. Without them, the battle was lost.
Alec finished off his opponent with a hard right to the jaw, then hurried toward his companions.
He reached Adara first. Her opponent lay in an unflattering heap of limbs.
She motioned to Quinn a few feet away. “Quinn’s hurt.” She didn’t look so hot herself, clothing shredded, and streaks of blood practically coating her thin body. As difficult as it was to walk away from a woman who could use his help, Alec did, and headed for Quinn. Adara seemed to be holding her own, whereas Quinn, slumped forward onto the amplifier, did not.
Alec touched the big man’s arm. “Where?”
Quinn eased himself to a standing position. Raw flesh folded outward from a gash across his midsection.
Alec’s stomach curdled. “How are you still standing?” Other men, normal men, would have already succumbed to such an injury.
“We have to get this baby down.” Quinn tapped the top of the magnifier with his massive hand.
Alec placed his palm above Quinn’s wound and felt the healing begin.
“How is Adara?” Quinn spoke in a voice only he could hear.
They both looked toward the woman, who, not aware of their perusal, dropped her chin to her chest and appeared to have difficulty taking a deep breath.
Alec met Quinn’s concerned gaze. “I’ll help her next.”
With a groan, Quinn straightened. “You should have healed her first. You saw to Eleni before joining us.”
Alec stiffened. His relationship with Eleni was different than Quinn and Adara’s. Or was it?
“What are you waiting for?” Quinn twisted his torso from side to side, then nodded toward Adara. “Go.”
The moment Adara spotted him, she raised her palm and shook her head. “I’m fine. Really. Let’s just win this thing and get out of here.”
Alec shoved her hand away and felt along her ribs. It was as he expected. Several were snapped in two. He clamped his mouth shut so he wouldn’t say something he’d regret, and let the healing power seep into her. How could she and Quinn have continued to fight with these kinds of injuries?
A few minutes later, she shrugged off his touch. “Let’s get this over with.” She joined Quinn at the amplifier.
Alec followed, feeling a little lightheaded. Was there a limit to his healing ability?
Once at the amplifier, he planted his palms against the smooth surface. Quinn and Adara were on one side of him, Stephanos the other. Using their combined strengths, they shoved at the damn thing.
“Come on, you stubborn bitch,” Quinn grunted.
“You’d better not be talking to me,” Adara said, her voice holding the strain of her exertion.
The sound of bending and twisting metal filled the air, making the back of Alec’s teeth hurt. Finally, he felt the amplifier shift forward. “We’ve got it. Keep pushing.”
Quinn and Stephanos let out a simultaneous roar, and Alec thought he heard Adara in there somewhere as well. The unit heaved and shuddered before crashing to the floor, chipping marble slabs, and cracking the one it had rested on in two.
They were all breathing heavily, and Stephanos stooped forward, resting his hands on his knees.
Alec stared at the spot where the amplifier was still tethered to the floor. A twelve-inch silver box with an LED timer fixed to the top lay nestled among various wires and cables. The timer read 9:05 and was ticking off seconds. A wave of cold horror washed over him.
He turned toward his friends. The realization of what they were looking at was etched in each of their expressions. He stared at the bomb again. “We’ve got to get everyone out of here. This place is going to blow.”
Chapter 38
Adrian rushed up to Alec, bloody and breathless. “I don’t know what’s going on, but Mallaki’s men are worse than ever. Fighting like fucking maniacs.”
Alec looked beyond Adrian at the half dozen or so men storming in their direction.
“We could use a little help. Where’s your girlfriend?”
Alec glanced toward the mic again. No sign of Eleni. She hadn’t issued her cease fighting command in quite a while, and Adrian was right. The battle had picked up. Although Mallaki’s people were significantly down in numbers, they seemed to be gaining ground. He tamped down the stab of worry and pointed at the bomb, now reading 7:26. “We’ve got a problem.”
“Shit.” Adrian’s face grew dark, and the hair on the back of Alec’s neck and arms started to prickle and rise.
“Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“Yes. Where are the others?”
Alec scanned the room again. “None of our side’s in the line of fire. I can’t be sure about Jules.”
Anguish flashed to Adrian’s face, and was immediately replaced by determination. “He’ll take care of himself. We don’t have time to mess around. You’d better get as far away from me as you can.”
Remembering the scene at Adara’s Tea Emporium, Alec rushed off in the opposite direction.
A crackling sound split the air. From a safe distance, Alec watched as a jagged stream of intense light burst from Adrian’s outstretched fingertips, shattering the air around them.
Adrian leveled his arms, and swept them across the room like a grunt with a machine gun. Those in his path cried out, scrambling in all directions. Most weren’t fast enough as the 300-plus kilovolts struck them. Within milliseconds, the pungent odor of burning flesh filled the air.
Adrian incinerated clothes in milliseconds, skin shortly after that. None survived the direct blast. Remains dropped to the floor in charred heaps or piles of ash. A few were lucky and escaped the direct blast, only to catch on fire as a wayward stream caught them.
Then it stopped.
Adrian dropped to his knees.
Alec rushed to his side. “Where are you hurt?”
Adrian’s eyes started to roll back in his head. “There’s nothing you can do. I need water.”
Alec scanned the room in search of anything that might help Adrian. His gut clenched. All the refreshments from the party had been removed. The whole place was surrounded by water, and he couldn’t get to a single drop.
He had to get Adrian out of there and re-hydrated. He
searched for the others. No. A fist closed around Alec’s heart as his gaze honed in on two people heading for the nearest exit.
Mallaki. Still alive.
And he had Eleni. Anger and fear fused together. Mallaki must have seen the amplifier go down, and he knew the place was rigged to explode. “I have to go.”
“Yes.” Adrian followed his gaze and nodded weakly. “Kill the bastard for me, would you?”
“My pleasure.” Alec made a beeline for Eleni. He covered a half dozen feet when a balding man brandishing an arrow like a sword came rushing toward him. Alec easily sidestepped him, then plucked the arrow from his hands and stabbed the tip into the man’s neck. The man gurgled and clutched at the shaft as an uneven tempo of blood spurted from the wound.
Alec swallowed and forced the nausea down with a grimace. He could do this. He withdrew the arrow from the tattered flesh, then retrieved the man’s bow and remaining arrows.
Thump.
Pain erupted along Alec’s jaw. He staggered, trying to stay on his feet. Once down, he was in big trouble. He scanned the immediate area through pain-racked eyes. There was no one within five feet of him. Great. The person who’d attacked him was invisible. Now what?
The answer came a split second later as he took what felt like a foot in his gut. He doubled over, then straightened, drawing a painful breath.
He cleared his head, trying to focus on the attacker’s location. Nothing. Damn. He was supposed to be able to see the future, wasn’t he? Why couldn’t he tell where this asshole was?
Zorba’s words came back to him. Picture the tip embedding itself deep within your target. Alec focused, then swiftly lined up the arrow and seated it in the bow. He didn’t actually have to see his target for his power to work. Drawing the string taut, he spun in a slow circle. Come on, show yourself. Give something away. Then he spotted a slight ripple in the air where the background was blocked. Only for an instant. But it was enough. Alec let go of the string.
He heard, “agh,” immediately followed by a resounding thud.
Not waiting to see if his assailant were dead or alive, Alec’s eyes searched the room for Mallaki while he continued forward. He spotted him heading for the exit, Eleni in tow, and quickened his pace.
As if sensing his approach, Mallaki slowed, then stopped. “It appears we both don’t like to stay dead. Coming to rescue your lover?”
“Let her go.”
Mallaki gave a harsh laugh. “Didn’t Eleni tell you? I’m immune to that particular power.”
It took Alec a second to realize he was referring to Eleni’s ability. Narrowing his eyes, he pinned Mallaki with a hard look. “I wasn’t trying to persuade you, I was telling you to let her go.”
Mallaki tangled his fingers in Eleni’s hair, and tugged her face close to his. “I would have thought you’d realize by now, I don’t give up what’s mine.”
“She’s not yours. Never was. Speaking of powers, what’s yours?” Even from this distance, he could see Mallaki’s face darken. “Not once have I seen you display anything extraordinary.” He forced his lips into a sneer, knowing it would get to the egomaniac. “You have no real powers, do you?”
He watched Eleni glance at Mallaki in surprise. That would no doubt piss him off, too.
“I have superior intellect. It allows me to control those with the physical abilities.”
“Implying weak-minded morons deserve to rule the world.”
“They’ll have their place, between the enslaved people of Earth and the true gods. A position you turned down.”
As slowly as he could, Alec snaked a hand behind him, blindly feeling for an arrow.
“Eleni could have been my wife. Ruled beside me. But you destroyed that, too.” Everything about Eleni was tense as Mallaki hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. “You are aware this was to be our night together.”
Eleni’s eyes glittered with unshed tears, but from the jut of her chin and the tautness of her mouth, she was more angry than hurt.
Alec’s fingers found the spiky metallic tip.
“Ah, hands out in front, Mr. Androulakis. Wouldn’t want something unfortunate to happen to this beautiful creature now, would you?”
Heart pounding hard against his chest, Alec obeyed, releasing the arrow and showing his palms to his enemy. His gaze drifted to Mallaki’s left where Stephanos, Quinn, and Adara were rapidly approached.
Mallaki shifted, and stared in the same direction.
Now.
Alec grabbed his bow and arrow and fired.
At that moment, Mallaki swept Eleni in front of him. The arrow struck Eleni’s chest, burrowing easily into her tender flesh.
Horror drove Alec to his knees.
Eleni’s mouth moved, but no words came out. She collapsed backward into Mallaki’s arms.
Alec sprinted toward her, a whirlpool of grief threatening to suck him into its depth.
Alec glanced at the other members of his team for help, but they’d been intercepted and were all engaged in their own battles. It didn’t matter. Only he could save Eleni.
Mallaki eased her to the floor. Rage, and something else, fixed on Mallaki’s face. Anger that he’d lost his prize possession?
“Her death is on your hands.” He wiped his palms on his gold tunic, leaving behind a reddish-brown smear.
Alec’s stomach twisted at the sight of Eleni’s blood staining the fabric.
Nearly paralyzed with fear, he placed a hand on Eleni’s neck. Damn, she was pale. But breathing. Relief poured through him at the faint pulse beneath his fingers. Blood blossomed from the point of the arrow’s entry. “She’s alive.”
“But not responding.” Mallaki’s voice actually sounded choked with emotion.
“I haven’t started yet. I’m surveying the damage.” He didn’t know why he bothered explaining. Maybe to reassure himself that Eleni would be okay. She had to be. Swallowing hard, he eased the arrow from her broken flesh, set it to her side, then placed his hands on her once more, forcing more of the healing energy into her body.
Touching the area closest to the wound, he felt the familiar energy gather, then flow into Eleni’s body. White light radiated in all directions as he struggled to heal the woman he loved.
It seemed like forever before Eleni’s eyelids fluttered open. She licked her lips.
A lump formed in Alec’s throat. “Ssh. I’m here, Eleni. You’ll be all right.”
“Dorian...”
Alec felt as if she’d thrown a bucket of cold water over him. Her first words after he brought her back from the brink of death were to ask for Mallaki?
Mallaki shot him a superior look, then took her hand. “I’m here.”
Eleni swallowed in jerky motions that suggested she wasn’t getting enough air.
Fear stabbed through Alec. Her color was way off. He’d been too hasty. She still needed more attention.
Alec reached for her, but she shrank away, returning her attention to Mallaki.
Icy hatred formed in the pit of Alec’s stomach as he looked across Eleni’s body and met his adversary’s dark, glittering eyes. The corners of Mallaki’s mouth lifted faintly before he shifted Eleni upward and cradled her head in his lap, smoothing the blond strands back from her face.
In a look only Alec could see, Eleni’s eyes begged him for forgiveness, before she returned her attention to Mallaki. “I’m sorry.”
She reached up and stroked the side of Mallaki’s face with her palm. With her other hand, she gripped the shaft of the arrow resting by her side.
Realization of what she was about to do burst into Alec’s head. And terrified him beyond thought.
“No.” Alec lunged forward.
Mallaki’s head shot upward and his startled gaze met Alec’s.
Eleni jabbed the arrow straight into Mallaki’s heart.
Mallaki looked down. Disbelief passed over his handsome features. Iron red blood seeped from the entry point, staining his shirt. His mouth dropped
opened. His stunned gaze showed confusion.
Mallaki started to slump forward, but Alec got there first, and shoved him off Eleni. He fell backward to the floor with a resonant thud.
“Eleni.” Alec sought for and found the reassuring rise and fall of her chest. He immediately started the healing process again, pouring everything he had into the mending of her broken body, allowing his feelings for Eleni to coalesce and join with his power. He searched his brain. Had he ever told her how he felt? “Eleni, I...”
“Alec.” Stephanos was at his side. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
“Take care of her. I have to make sure Adrian can make it out on his own steam.”
Stephanos hesitated a moment, as if considering his request, then gave a curt nod.
Alec eased Eleni up off the floor and into his arms, then passed her over to Stephanos.
She gave him a weak smile. It was as if a vise closed around his heart. Emotion swelled, locking his throat. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but couldn’t, lest he break down and blubber like a baby. Instead, he planted a warm kiss on her mouth, taking pleasure in the feel of her soft lips beneath his. Placing his hands on her, he sent as much healing energy into her as he could.
“Go.” Eleni inclined her head. “They need you.”
Alec didn’t want to leave her, ever, but knew she would live—she would be all right.
Eleni stared up at Stephanos and winced at the sight of his battered and bruised face. “You should have Alec look at you.”
“There will be time for that later. We’ve got to get you out of here.” He carried her toward the exit. “Didn’t Alec tell you? There’s a bomb. The place is set to explode.”
Her heart leapt to her throat, and she struggled to take a breath. “What about Alec?”
“He’ll be able to focus on what has to be done with you safe and sound.”
“You can put me down. I feel silly being carried around like a little girl. I’m feeling better.”
He lowered her feet to the floor. “That’s some man you’ve got there.”
