Rush Against Time

by Willow Brooke

  ‘That would be your sister-in-law. It seems the broken girl we first beat then helped the other day had a change of heart,’ Damion explained the attack to her, bringing her up to date on her crazy new in-laws.

  ‘Damn, that makes my family look normal.’ Logan moved in front of her, guarding her from the oncoming shower of splintered tree trunk that fell from the above now aerial display. Damion jumped up and crouched her under him, using himself as a shield.

  ‘What can we do to help?’ Fear gripped her heart, making her want to jump up and rip the psycho bitch’s throat out. ‘Come down on the ground, you skank, I dare you.’ Jessa’s wolf went haywire, desperate to help her mate.

  ‘No, Jessa! You keep your head down and let us deal with her. You have no idea what she is capable of. Do you understand me!’ Damion’s tone left no room for argument.

  ‘Okay. Please help him.’ Even her mental voice was small and shaking, showing her weakness and fear to both.

  ‘We aren’t going to let anyone hurt him. Only we can.’ Logan’s almost show of affection eased the heaviness in her heart.

  ‘Stay here, Jessa. No matter what, understand? She can’t hurt you bad as long as you are in the wards that Autumn put up to protect you. You can get a few bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. DO NOT LEAVE THE YARD!’ Damion licked her cheek in a sloppy dog kiss and took off. Logan was hot on his heels, looking noble and ready for battle.

  ****

  When Logan and Damion rounded the corner of the house, Gavin had the bitch pinned to the ground. She was still fighting, but he seemed to be growing stronger the more angry he got. Logan had to hand it to him, he was definitely a badass. Logan nodded for Damion to go around one side while he took the other. He evaluated the situation, trying to find an angle to jump in. There was a bubble of electricity sparking around the siblings, making an opening impossible. Finally, he gritted his teeth and leapt through the sparks, fighting the zaps until he latched on to her arm. Damion was only a second behind him, and together they each pulled, stretching her body enough to give Gavin an opening to rip her throat open with his teeth. His hands raised in the air, drawing beams of some sort of black swirling magic down toward her chest.

  She screamed, using every last ounce of power she had against the three. A strong force of wind blasted against them, raising him and Damion off the ground. They held on, using all of their strength to rip and tear her flesh. Gavin slammed both of his hands down onto her body, creating a blinding flash of light to explode from her like an atomic bomb. Logan lost his grip, sailing backwards to skid in the grass, knocking over one of the yard gnomes. It’s head flew off and up into the air, coming down to land on his head. He was knocked loopy for a few minutes, seeing sparkling stars and tweety birds. There was no sound around him. It was totally silent. Shit. I am deaf. He shook his head back and forth, trying to knock his brain back into the upright position. His vision spiraled and blurred, taking a few moments to focus and align the duplicate images back to normal.

  He jumped up, ignoring the throb in his skull and searched for Damion. He found him, bolting across the yard back toward the fight. He followed, barreling in a fit of pure vehemence.

  They arrived at the same time, leaping up in the air and landing atop the thrashing woman. Gavin was kneeling a few feet away, recuperating from the enormous mystic energy blast. He rose surprisingly quick, levitating up to land at her head, pinning it with his feet.

  Fuck you, bitch. Time to die. Logan got a clear shot to her throat, and dove in for the kill. Just before he crushed her juggler, her body went limp and a haunting female cackle echoed around them. He hesitated, looking up to see the ghost of a blonde-haired woman floating above the now lifeless body.

  “Ah hahahaha! Kill her! Kill the little worthless weakling! She is just like her father!” Logan watched in disbelief, unsure how to kill the floating apparition. Hell, he had no idea how to even hurt it. This is going to suck ass. He looked to Damion for ideas, but the dark wolf widened his eyes and quirked his head, looking just as bamboozled as he was. Gavin moved in front of them, taking the entity head on.

  “Mother. How did I not see your signature traits? Still trying to reap havoc on the land of the living, I see.”

  “Gavin, you are the strongest of them all. Together we can make the world our playground! Why do you fight me? You are cut from the same cloth, and have my blood coursing through your veins. That little attack you just did? That was from the darkness. You are tainted…teetering on the edge. Quit toying around and come over where you belong!” Her voice screeched, making him and Damion both try to hide from the brain piercing pitch.

  “I may have the ability to tap into the darkness, Mother, but the difference between you and I is that my heart isn’t black like yours. You are evil, and now you are stuck with nowhere to go. The devil himself doesn’t even want a sadistic bitch like you. You can possess helpless victims all you want, but the truth of the matter is, you will never ‘be’ again.”

  “Oh son, sweet, sweet, son. You are going to be just like me, mark my words. When you do cross over, you will never be able to turn back. That pathetic little mutt won’t last forever. She is too weak for you. I should kill her now and do you a favor!” She flew across the yard toward a snarling Jessa. All three men took off, cutting her off before she made it. Damion and Logan rushed in front of Jessa, putting themselves in the crossfire of the floating freak show.

  “Time for you to make your leave, Mother!” Gavin turned his palms toward her, exerting the same flash of light as before. This time, he chanted something in an ancient tongue that Logan had never heard. At the end of the third verse, she let out a blood-curdling scream and disappeared. Gavin fell backwards, huffing and puffing for oxygen.

  ****

  Jessa couldn’t believe her eyes. She had seen and met a variety of unworldly ghosts, creatures, and things of the mythical world, but she had never been confronted face to face with a poltergeist. When Gavin opened up the magical can of whoop ass, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Of all of the wizards and witches she had ever met or heard about, he made them look like dime store magicians. He was the one of legends and bedtime stories. No one ever believed the original bloodline of vampira existed. In one single night, she had seen it, felt it, and almost died by it.

  The moment Gavin hit the ground, she shifted back to her human form and lunged in his direction. She moved him to where his head was in her lap with her feet crossed beneath him. He stared up at her with a small smile, looking like he was on the brink of death. “Gavin, are you all right? What can I do to help you?”

  “I will be fine, little wolf. I just need to regenerate some. It takes a lot out of a man drawing power from both sides.” Even in his weakened state, he tried to ease her worry.

  She heard rustling beside her and lifted her gaze to find Logan and Damion both sitting with her. “He needs blood, angel.” Logan nodded toward her wrist, and she immediately lifted it to Gavin’s lips.

  “Here, drink.” She turned her head away, expecting it to hurt. Instead, there was a sharp tingle when he pierced her flesh, followed by a wonderful tingling sensation that traveled from his bite throughout her entire body. Her head swam in a colorful, peaceful high. It both intoxicated and turned her on. When he was done, he licked it to seal the punctures and laid back down.

  “Thank you, angel. Boys?”

  “Yeah?” Damion answered for them both.

  “That was the best fighting and courage I have ever seen. Thank you for all of your help. You put all others of my kind to shame.”

  “Thank you for protecting our girl.” He glanced at Jessa, sending a silent ‘thank you’ to God.

  “Man, am I glad we didn’t keep picking on you earlier. With that kind of power, hell, we would have been toast,” Logan snickered, joining the other’s lighthearted laughs.

  “Nah. Don’t ever think I would use it against someone. I can only conjure it up when faced with evil. Plus, I wouldn’t need an
y extra worldly strength to take you two pups on.” He grinned, poking fun at them both.

  “If that is what your family is like, we are NOT visiting them on Christmas,” Logan joked.

  “Shit! Speaking of family, I need to help Tonya! It wasn’t her all this time. It was mother preying on her broken heart. Can someone go get a bag of blood from the house? She is going to need a bunch.” Gavin stood, still seeming weak but was slowly starting to look better. Damion and Logan both got up and helped him, propping him up between them. As soon as they got him by Tonya’s side, Damion jogged toward the house.

  “Is she going to be able to pull out of this? Those wounds are horrendous.” Logan watched Gavin tear open his skin and drip blood into her gaping mouth before it healed.

  “Yeah, she will be fine in a few days. We can overcome just about anything, except being decapitated or burnt. She will stay in a rest coma to let her body use its strength to regenerate. I gave her some of my blood because my anti-aging and regeneration will speed up the healing process.”

  “You are one badass, Gavin. I am honored to have you in our family.” Logan shook his hand, feeling a new bonding growing between him and his new friend.

  “I am honored to be accepted. I know without a doubt, that between the three of us, no one will ever hurt our Jessa.”

  Damion appeared in a pair of jeans, still bare from the waist up, hauling four pouches of blood and a stack of clothing. He handed the crimson liquid to Gavin, and gave the other two the garments. After dropping to his knees beside Tonya, he tilted her head enough to help Gavin get it down her throat.

  Logan sensed a bout of sorrow exerting from him, and the sadness of the situation hit him. “I can’t imagine the heartache your sister must feel, Gavin. I don’t think I could breathe a single breath if something happened to Jessa. I hope that in time, she will find someone to fill that gap in her soul.”

  Logan reached over and wrapped Jessa in his arms, hugging her tight. He didn’t ever want to let her out of his embrace. She had become the most important thing to him, and it was evident the others felt the same. As twisted as fate seemed to be, in the end, all was just a miniscule drop in the river of life.

  “Let’s get her in the house, boys. We can put her in the downstairs bedroom so we can keep a close eye on her. I am going to go pull all the blackout shades, and get the bed ready.” Jessa kissed Logan and stepped out of his hold. She walked to first Gavin then Damion, giving them the same affection before walking back to the house.

  “Okay, love. We will be in shortly.” Gavin slid his arms under the still bleeding woman’s shoulders, carefully lifting her enough to get a good grip. “Damion, would you grab her feet and legs? Logan, when I lift her, support her back for me.”

  “Yep. No problem.” Damion readied his position, waiting for the go-ahead.

  “I am on it. On three. One… two… three.” Logan slid under her midsection the instant she was raised enough to get under, and together the three slowly and carefully carried the frail, lifeless woman to the house.

  ****

  After they had Tonya bandaged and taken care of, the trio of evil-bitch-demon busters slumped back into the kitchen. Jessa had reheated everyone’s meal, adding a pint of O+ in a blue plastic cup, complete with an opaque straw to the table.

  “Aww, thank you, Jess. You even made a meal for Iceman.” Logan smooched a kiss against her cheek and sat down.

  “Iceman?” Gavin’s eyebrows raised in question.

  “Yeah. Since you are a ‘cold one’ so to speak, I thought the nickname fit.” Logan grinned, shoveling a heaping fork of sweet and sour chicken into his mouth. The other two followed suit, expressing their thanks as they proceeded to chow down.

  “Well, I wanted you boys to bond but I have to say, this was not what I had in mind.”

  “On a plus note, we now know that Gavin here is one badass, bitch blasting bastard! So can she still come back?” Damion gulped a chug of is now hot beer.

  “Yes. We are going to have to talk to the other leaders in the area and warn them. Together, we can come up with a plan to send her back where she belongs.”

  “Was she always a psycho chiquita nut case?” Jessa rested her hand on his, offering a silent show of sympathy.

  “No. At one time, she was an amazing woman. I was about sixteen when weird things started to happen. We were always taught not to dawdle in the darkness.

  “Father was the very first vampire to walk on earth. The devil fought God, wanting our race to belong to him. Not long after my father was born, the devil visited his crib in the night. He cast what we call ‘darkness’ into him, in hopes that when he grew up, he would choose him as his leader instead of God.

  “One day, the devil went on a killing spree. He possessed helpless people, making them slaughter each other and then themselves. My father joined the angels and dragged the devil back to hell. After that, God enabled us to work from either the light—good magic, or the darkness—bad magic. My mother was created as a gift of thanks.

  “The two of them worked hand in hand, keeping the balance of the world. When evil tried to step over and take control, it was them who went to battle. One day, my mother dove a little bit farther into the dark magic. She began growing more and more secluded, favoring the darkness. My father tried to help, but ended up being sucked into the evilness. I took my sister and left home, hiding in the deepest corner of the earth. The only family we had was each other, and we looked out for one another. We grew up, and eventually she fell in love and mated her soul mate. Ironically, he was an angel, who was sent to help protect mankind.

  “One day, my mother found us. She flattened our village, killing everyone but us. Xylar destroyed her for her hate-filled destruction. When my father found out, he used the help and power from the darkness to murder Xylar. The sin was so bad and unforgiveable that God himself cast my father into the burning pits of hell, making him a prisoner for the rest of eternity.

  “I don’t know how my mother is on earth, but I know she isn’t welcome. The woman who once read us bedtime stories and sang us lullabies died centuries ago, before she was sucked into the depths of darkness.” Gavin sighed, leaning back in his chair.

  All three were silent, taking in the story they had just heard. Jessa was the first to speak up, her tone soft and loving, “Well, I am sorry that you had to go through such agony, my love. Now you and your sister have family. Someday, hopefully she can find love again.”

  “That is some majorly twisted stuff, dude.” Logan finished the last bite of his food, scraping his fork annoyingly along the plate.

  Jessa kicked his shin under the table, earning a yelp. “Mind your manners.”

  He adverted his eyes, answering, “Yes, ma’am.”

  ****

  Everyone began clearing the table and cleaning up the dinner mess. When everything was in order, Gavin walked up and locked her in a heated kiss. His lips softened, easing back and into a smile. “I have wanted to do that all night. I think it is time to get you to bed.” Sparks of dark blue shot through the pale rings of his eyes, making her wolf howl with an uprising of desire.

  “What the hell had you so busy you didn’t?” Jessa grinned teasingly.

  “Oh, just a silly poltergeist is all.”

  “Well just don’t let it happen again, mister.”

  He brushed his lips against her brow, mumbling, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Damion walked in, clearing his throat over exaggeratingly. “If you two are done, there is a hot bubble bath waiting for a dirty girl upstairs.” He winked at Gavin, signaling some sort of hidden agenda.

  Jessa smiled, knowing that whatever man secrets were being shared, it would be something she would look forward to. “Well, I am definitely a dirty girl, in more ways than one.” She turned and sauntered out of the room, adding an extra little sway to her hips when she went up the staircase.

  Halfway up the stairs, she heard them talking and stopped to listen. Damion’s voice was low, bu
t her shifter hearing caught every word. “Damn that ass is fine, and damn, it is mine.” She had to slap her hand over mouth to stifle a giggle. “I guess you can have her ass tonight. Tomorrow, I get dibs.”

  “No one will get anything besides a cold spot on the couch if they don’t shower!” she hollered over her shoulder as she continued toward the hot pool of sudsy relaxation that awaited her. Two muffled, ‘Oh shits echoed behind her, making her smile in satisfaction.

  Once she reached the door, she turned the knob and stepped inside. The bathroom was dark with only the soft glow of over thirty candles burning. The sweet scent of lilacs filled her senses. Upon further examination, the bubbles that stood to the top rim of the tub and tiny little sprigs of lilacs floated in their frothy clouds. The thoughtfulness of her men touched her heart. She stepped out of the sweats and t-shirt Damion had brought her earlier, and into the numbing, soul cleansing hot water. It took a few minutes for her body to adjust to the hot temperature, but she soon worked her way down enough to dunk her hair and ears under. Every ounce of the past few weeks of built-up stress and tension washed away. The water muted all noise, giving her a peaceful and healing silence.

  When the water started to cool, she sat up and finished washing. After a good rinse, she stepped out and dried, realizing she forgot to bring in clothes to slip on. With a wicked smile, she wrapped the towel around her, and tucked it under her arm then ran a quick brush through her hair before walking toward three hunky men. My three hunky men.

  Chapter Ten

  Jessa stood outside the bedroom door, listening to the voices that whispered in hushes inside. Unable to hear clearly, she leaned her ear gently against the cold wood, straining to find out what the trio was plotting. When the door abruptly swung open, she fell into the brick wall of Damion’s chest.