Underneath

by Maggie Walsh

  Taylor gasped in shock. “Micah, you could see inside Jesse when I did?” Taylor asked in horror. Micah’s eyes got very sad and he nodded. “Oh my god, Micah,” Taylor said, and went to him and wrapped his arms around him. Micah accepted the comfort and wrapped his arms around Taylor, hugging him back.

  “You have been given a great gift from the gods, Alpha. You have a happy, claimed omega birthed into your pack, along with the one true guardian, and an angel-demon-mixed-fae prince, who just so happens to be your mate. He has angel, demon, and fae powers within him, that will now develop faster, because of Raphael and the guardian,” Adam said. “A witch’s powers can be taken away by anyone. All your powers can be removed by the gods if they deem you unworthy. But a fae’s powers cannot be removed. So none of your mate’s powers will ever be able to be removed. Fae power is naturally a part of them. They are born with them, but develop slowly as they mature into them. A witch taps into the powers of the universe, but it is not a part of them,” Adam explained.

  “So wait a minute. So Jesse is part angel, part demon, and part fae? And because he is part fae he can’t even lose his angel and demon powers? And because of Raffy his powers will develop faster? And if Raffy stays happy, then those powers will grow stronger? So then why is he trapped?” Crew asked.

  “Trapped?” Adam asked in anger. “The heart is trapped? Where? How?”

  “The heart?” Lexi asked in shock. “Jesse is the heart?”

  “Yes. I’ll explain later. I’m not even clear on that one,” Micah said.

  Adam looked at him. “Your heart. He is your heart. You are the Alpha who has been gifted with a birthed omega. A birthed omega only happens once every ten thousand years. Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough when I said it was a great gift bestowed upon you, Alpha. You were supposed to take over your birth pack, but instead you left. It was your time to take over, but you didn’t. But the gods still acknowledge you as the rightful Alpha to that pack. Raphael was born into the pack that the gods deem yours. They also acknowledge you as Alpha of this pack. Your omega has found his way to you. Your powers will grow and develop and be very strong, the strongest wolf to have ever been born, what is known as an Alpha Prime or Alpha King. Previous Alphas who have been gifted birthed omegas eventually died as they were supposed to. But you have mated an angel, demon, fae. You will live as long as he does, and he will live for eternity if protected.”

  Micah’s eyes went wide. “Are you saying that Jesse and I are immortal?” he asked in shock.

  “Essentially, yes. That is the reason for the creation of the guardian. To protect the heart. Because of your mate you will potentially never die. And because of the birthed omega your powers will become immense. Each paranormal has a king or a queen, except the wolves. From the beginning of time it was told that the one true Alpha Prime was coming. But no one knew when that would be. That is why there is no king of the wolves. The prophecy speaks of the Alpha King coming into power now.

  “Your kind continually looks down upon, or pushes down, those they think are weaker. Very few packs have been kind to omegas. But you do not think like that. You understand that the strength of a person has nothing to do with their size. You will become the king of the wolves. You, Alpha Micah Angel, are the prophesied Alpha Prime. You have been chosen by the gods to lead your kind. Once all the chips fall into place and this evil is stopped, utopia will begin. Each paranormal king or queen will join together as one to keep order and peace amongst the paranormals. And you will lead the kings and queens.

  “Your mate has enhanced you. He has shown you true love and loyalty. He has opened your eyes to true understanding and compassion for others. You have not fought against it, you have accepted it and have taken it into you. You have always been a good leader, but since you have met your mate you have become a great leader. The wolf king will lead all paranormals because of his ability to treat others equally and without judgment. But your one true weakness is your heart. And your mate holds your heart within him. He is the owner of your heart as you are the owner of his. He will keep you grounded as you lead, as will the other leaders.

  “But if the heart is trapped, then you will weaken. Your pack will weaken, even if it does have a birthed omega. You will not be ready for the battles before you. The great prophet has seen it all. You are supposed to lead the paranormals with your mate at your side. But if you lose this battle, then the evil one will control our world and the human world. Along with the fae world and the underworld. We cannot allow this evil to win. I wonder if the fae king went to the great prophet and asked if he could tell us if the prophecy has changed, now that the heart is trapped? Surely the great prophet Malachi would…”

  “Malachi?” Micah yelled out. “Malachi the witch?”

  “Malachi is not a witch. He is the great prophet. He has seen it all, he is the one who told the gods of this prophecy,” Adam explained.

  “If this is the same Malachi…” Micah stopped and turned. He thought for a minute and turned back to face Adam. “Can a prophecy be changed?”

  “Oh yes. If you knew the events that would happen and when, then you could change the outcome,” Adam answered.

  “So if you knew all the whens, wheres, and whos, you could change the future to suit your needs, couldn’t you?” Micah asked.

  “Yes. But the only one who knows all of the prophecy is the great prophet. Not even the gods know every aspect of the prophecy. Only the one who saw it,” Adam answered, and then his eyes went wide. “Are you thinking what I am thinking, Alpha?”

  “I think so. If Malachi is the only one who knows the full prophecy then he can change it. He can stop it and change it to fit his needs. He could change it so that he could be the leader instead of me,” Micah said.

  “Shit! We need to stop him,” Dante said.

  “First we have to find the heart and rescue him,” Adam said.

  “Jesse is here. He’s not trapped in a place. He’s trapped in his own mind,” Micah explained sadly.

  Adam’s eyes went wide. “Take me to him,” he said, and jumped off the counter.

  Chapter 9

  Micah walked into his room with everyone following him. He approached the bed where Jesse was sitting, quietly leaning against the headboard, eyes fixed straight ahead blankly, while Noah read to him. Noah stopped reading when everyone came in and he sat up. Storm was sitting in a chair by the fireplace. He stood up and faced the group as they entered.

  “Micah, what’s going on?” Storm asked in confusion.

  Micah walked up to the bed and sat on the edge. Adam slowly approached and stopped beside Micah. “He is very beautiful, isn’t he?” Adam said softly.

  Micah nodded his head as he gently pushed a strand of hair from Jesse’s brow. He leaned in and gave Jesse a gentle kiss and pulled back. “Is there anything we can do for him, Adam?” Micah asked sadly.

  Adam went to sit on the bed, but looked to Micah. “May I, Alpha?” Micah nodded his agreement.

  Adam sat on the bed and reached out a hand to Jesse. He laid his hand on Jesse’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He shook his head and opened his eyes. “Something is blocking me from seeing. Guardian, would you mind helping me?” he asked, looking at Taylor. Taylor stepped forward and stopped next to Adam. Adam held out his hand and Taylor laid his hand palm down into Adam’s. They intertwined their fingers and Adam closed his eyes again.

  A bright light filled the room and Ryland appeared. “What’s going on here? What are you doing to Jesse?” Ryland asked as he entered the room.

  Adam stopped and opened his eyes, looking at the newcomer. “You are the heart’s birthed father, the fae king. It is good that you are here. We may need your help. Is the heart’s other father here? The angel demon?”

  “No, but we can get him here,” Micah said. Then he called out, “Phenex, I need you.”

  A few moments later Phenex stepped from the wall. “What can I help you with, mate of my heart?” Phenex said sadly, and looked at
Jesse.

  “Phenex, this is Adam. He is a familiar. He thinks he may be able to tell us what’s going on with Jesse. He thought having you and Ryland here may help him,” Micah explained.

  Phenex looked at Adam and gave him a sad smile. “How can I help you, wise one?”

  “Wise one? What does that mean?” Aaron asked.

  “A witch’s familiar knows all the magic that a witch has. They know all their spells and can perform them when in their witch’s presence. Once a witch passes, their power goes to their familiar to hold onto for the next witch that they have been fated to in their family line. Then as that witch’s powers grow, their knowledge is passed on again to the familiar for the next witch. Not all witches have a familiar though. Only powerful witches from the six original lines. As they pass on, their familiar is passed down through their family lines,” Ryland explained.

  “I don’t mean to be rude here or to sound uncaring, but can we stop all the history lessons for now and get on with helping Jesse, and maybe finding my mate and my brothers-in-law?” Taylor asked, frustrated.

  “You are right, Taylor. Let’s get to this. Familiar, how may I help you?” Phenex asked solemnly.

  “I need both the heart’s parents to hold hands and then place your other hand on the heart,” Adam explained.

  “You can call him Jesse, Adam,” Taylor said, and squeezed his hand. Adam smiled at him and nodded.

  Phenex and Ryland stared at each other for a moment. Phenex’s eyes full of pain and sadness. Ryland looked back at him nervously. Phenex held out his hand to Ryland. Ryland just stared at the offered hand, unmoving. The tension in the room started to grow the longer Ryland hesitated to join hands. Phenex’s eyes started to fill with anger. “Why would you hesitate to help our son, Ryland?” Phenex asked through clenched teeth.

  Ryland just continued to stare at Phenex’s hand. “I…” He stopped and swallowed hard.

  Phenex reached out, grabbed Ryland’s hand roughly, and clasped his hand hard. “Put your other hand on Lomiel, now,” Phenex ordered as he placed his hand on Jesse’s other shoulder. When Ryland didn’t make a move to touch Jesse, Taylor grabbed his hand and forced it forward, making him stumble. He placed Ryland’s hand on Jesse’s arm and held his hand over it.

  “Go, Adam,” Taylor said.

  Adam closed his eyes and visions of Jesse’s life flashed before him. “Rory, repeat with me, please,” Adam said, and started to chant. Rory repeated the chant as Adam said.

  Dante translated in a whisper, “Show me the way to the source of this hell, mother earth. Bring forth the evil that has trapped this poor soul within himself.”

  Adam repeated the chant in Latin over and over, as Rory repeated him. Suddenly Adam’s body started to shake. Phenex’s eyes closed tight, Ryland started to pant and closed his eyes as if in pain, and Taylor started to cry. Adam’s eyes flew open wide as the four burst apart from Jesse as if they had been thrown. They each stumbled and caught themselves before they hit the floor. Taylor was the first to recover. “What the hell was that?”

  “That was Malachi. He has placed a spell on Lomiel,” Phenex yelled angrily. He turned his furious eyes to Ryland. “You knew. That’s why you left our son to bear this burden without you and why you didn’t want to help him now. You son of a bitch.”

  Ryland swallowed hard and shook his head. “No, Phen. I swear I didn’t know. You have to believe me,” he pleaded.

  “I can’t believe anything you say. You saw what those monsters did to our son. How can you not want to stop his agony?” Phenex bit out.

  “I do want to stop it,” Ryland said, and reached out to touch Phenex’s arm. He placed his hand on Phenex’s arm and looked at him pleadingly. “That’s where I went. I tried to find Malachi. When Taylor spoke his name, I had a feeling he knew something about this. I suspected he would have the answer to save Lomiel, but I never expected him to be the one to have done this to him. I swear to you, Phenex.”

  Phenex ripped his arm away from Ryland and looked at him with cold eyes. “I don’t believe you,” he said angrily and turned away. He turned to Adam. “How can we remove this spell?”

  Adam shook his head and met his eyes with sadness. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know. The spell is too powerful. There may be an answer in Rory’s Grimoire.”

  “My Grim what?” Rory asked in confusion.

  “Your Grimoire. It is your book of spells. It was started by your great-great-great-grandmother, and passed down to the next generation. There may be an answer in there as to how to release the heart…Jesse,” Adam explained.

  “Okay, so where is this book? This Grimoire?” Raith asked.

  “It was…I’m sorry. I am only permitted to inform my witch of its whereabouts and take him there. Only he can get it. The Grimoire is protected by a spell that only his bloodline can break,” Adam answered.

  “Can you take us there? Me and my mates?” Rory asked.

  “Yes, I can take you whenever you wish,” Adam said with a smile.

  Rory turned in Raith’s arms and looked into his eyes. “Can we go now, Raith? Please?”

  “It’s almost midnight, baby boy. Can we go first thing in the morning?” Raith asked gently.

  “No, Raith. Please can we go now. For Jesse?” Rory pleaded, and batted his eyelashes.

  Raith chuckled at how cute his mate was. “You already know my weaknesses, don’t you, baby?” he asked as he cupped Rory’s cheek. Rory gave him a wide smile as his eyes lit up. “Yes, for Jesse and for you, we can go now,” he leaned down and brushed his lips across Rory’s. He straightened up and looked to Adam. “Okay, Adam, lead the way.”

  “Wait,” Aaron called out. “I think maybe Adam needs something to wear before we go.”

  “In the dresser. Take something of Jesse’s. It may be a little short on you but it’s right there,” Micah offered, his voice full of sadness.

  Adam gave him a shy smile and bowed his head. “Thank you, Alpha Prime. I am honored to wear the garments of the heart.” Aaron went to Jesse’s dresser and pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a black T-shirt. He handed the items to Adam and pointed toward the bathroom. Adam went into the bathroom and closed the door.

  “So now that we have that squared away, what about Raffy, Cass, and my mate?” Taylor asked.

  “I believe I may be able to help with that if Phen were willing to come with me for a brief time,” Ryland offered. Everyone looked to him.

  The bathroom door opened and Adam stepped out. The jeans were a little short on the bottom, but they fit his waist and the tee was a little tight, but it covered everything. He walked to Dante and held out his hand with the sweater. “Thank you, Prince,” he said, and bowed his head.

  Dante gave him a smile as he took the offered garment. “You’re welcome, Adam.”

  “He just needs shoes,” Rory said.

  Suddenly the closet door opened by itself and a pair of sneakers appeared floating in midair. The sneakers floated to Adam and then dropped to the floor. “Sorry, it’s still new,” Christian said sheepishly, and shrugged his shoulders.

  “Christian, you have your first power?” Micah asked with a little excitement.

  “Yeah, it just started a couple of days ago. Freaked me the hell out,” Christian said with a chuckle. A chorus of congratulations rang out and a few back slaps. “Thanks, everyone, but we have more important things to think about right now,” he said, and looked to Adam.

  Adam slid his feet into the sneakers and looked up. “They’re a little small but if I wear them like this it’s okay. I’m ready,” he said.

  “Okay, gentlemen, let’s go,” Raith said, and held out his hand, motioning for Adam to lead the way. Rory, Aaron, and Raith followed.

  After they left, everyone turned their attention back to Ryland. “So what were you saying?” Micah asked.

  “I tracked Malachi to a cave in Montana. But I can’t find a way in. I was hoping Phenex could walk through the wall and see if he is hiding in there,�
� Ryland explained.

  Phenex stared at him then turned. He walked to the wall and placed his hand on it. He looked back at Ryland with cold eyes. “After you.” Ryland walked to the wall and stopped. He looked at Phenex and sighed. He turned to face the wall and walked through. Phenex followed.

  * * * *

  “Where the hell are we?” Cass asked in a whisper. He sat cross-legged on the cold, hard, rock floor, his head slightly hunched from the limited amount of room he had in the cage. His shoulders just about touched the bars from side to side.

  Raffy sat huddled in the corner of his cage across from Cass. He wrapped his arms around his legs and laid his head on his knees. He lifted his head at Castiel’s words and looked to his brother. “I don’t know,” he whispered back, and shrugged his shoulders. “Some kind of cave, but I’m not sure where.”

  Cass looked at Gabe in the cage to his right. It was set about six feet away from his, but he could see that his big brother was still out. He was gonna be hurting when he finally came to. His cage was the same size as Cass’s, but Gabe was even bigger than him. The man lay on his side on the cold floor, his legs all scrunched up against his chest and his head resting against the metal bars. “He’s still out, but he’s alive. I can hear his heartbeat. How long have we been here?” he asked, and turned back to Raffy.

  “Not too long. About eight hours,” Raffy said sadly.

  “Are you okay, Raf? Did they hurt you?” Cass asked with anguish. Raffy shook his head and looked away. “Then why did you look away like that? What is it, Raf?”

  “It’s all my fault that you and Gabriel are here. He tricked me. I was too stupid to figure it out until it was too late,” he said solemnly as a tear escaped his eye.

  “Hey, I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself that way. You are not stupid,” Cass said angrily at him as he grabbed the bars in front of him. “I was a little out of it back there, but I heard what he said. He tricked you, Raffy. It wasn’t your fault. It was a setup. They specifically asked for Gabe and I to go there. They planned the whole thing, so it wasn’t you being stupid, you got it?” Raffy nodded his head and closed his eyes. Cass looked around at their surroundings. He could make out what looked like a lab in one corner. There were about ten cages in this cave, three occupied by them, and one more that was occupied by another man. He was also lying down on his side, but with his back to them. Cass could just see that the man’s body rose as he breathed. He could also faintly hear his heart beating. “Do we know who or what he is?” Cass asked Raffy, and flicked his head in the guy’s direction.