Lauren bit her lip. She looked around, saw that all eyes were upon her. Her hand began to tremble. The athame she held against Jade’s throat slipped a little lower.
Jade could feel the pulsing in the medallion she wore growing stronger. She had to get to Decker. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the energy of the ancient disk. She drew in the energy of love from the Claddagh, also hanging around her neck. Love. That was power of the purest Light. She aligned herself with the pulse from the medallion, and the strength of loving energy that swirled about the vortex. She felt Decker’s love. She absorbed the strong energies swirling around her. She imagined herself flying toward Ciaran and freeing her man.
Energy from the medallion filled her with heat. She felt warm, then hot. She felt her body lift and her feet leave the ground. She concentrated on what she had learned about flying. She pushed Lauren’s arm forward and away from her. She asked for speed, even though she had never flown fast on her own before. She felt herself rise higher, kept her gaze upon Decker and within seconds she was there.
She cried out as Ciaran somehow pushed her back. Damn, she hadn’t cloaked herself.
Cold water surrounded her when she landed. She rose unsteadily in the creek. She bent forward as she tried to catch her breath. There was pain in her midsection. She lifted her tee and saw claw marks. He’d scratched her. That would explain the rising pain, the dull energy creeping into her. She was fairly close to the Mother Rock. She hurried toward it.
“Harper, spray me with the blessed salt water!” she called out as she remembered Aunt Neave saying a woman who had been tainted by Ciaran cured herself that way.
Harper did spray her. Liam waded in and pulled her onto the rock. Aunt Neave held raw Dead Sea Salt against her wound.
Erin placed her hands over the scratches and drew the darkness out with her healing power. She rinsed her hands in the creek and cupped some in her hand to pour over the area where Ciaran scratched Jade.
She looked down at her belly. The long scratches were gone. I’m fine now.” Jade looked to Neave and whispered, “Cloak me.”
Niall came up beside her. “You’ll not go alone this time. I’ll block, you take Decker and go.”
Jade nodded. She reached over and took up a handful of the Dead Sea salt from Neave’s bucket.
Ciaran had moved Decker further back, to another rock. “I’m going to kill him on the count of three unless you trade yourself for him, Jade. I kill him and the deal is over then I win. Everyone else dies,” Ciaran threatened.
“Not exactly over,” Niall spoke. “The Decker’s have cousins that you didn’t know existed, from Mary Kate’s brothers. Then there is the small matter of a few more Murphys, O’Driscolls, and McCarthys. They are hidden where you’ll never find them.”
“You lie!” Ciaran growled in displeasure. “I killed the McCarthy and the O’Driscoll five years ago! There aren’t any more of them.”
“No. I do not lie. I know they exist, because I am the Guardian. We’ve done a fine job this time hiding things from you. What’s more, you’ll never find them. You’ve grown lax over the centuries, Ciaran.”
“One!” Ciaran counted as his red gaze rested on Jade. He added, “His throat is slit on three, Caoimhe.”
Niall took Jade’s hand and looked to her.
She nodded.
She felt the familiar energy of the cloaking surround her. She concentrated on lifting and speed. They flew.
Ciaran’s face was a blur as she threw a handful of the salt into his eyes. He dropped the knife as Niall pushed into him. She wrapped her arms around Decker’s torso and lifted him. She felt his energy strengthen when his mind connected with hers. They rose higher when their energy melded for their flight.
A sob escaped her when Decker wrapped his arms around her. He was okay! Alive. Her concentration faltered.
They fell a few feet.
“Look at me, babe,” Decker said after pressing a kiss against her hair. “Concentrate, that’s it. You’re driving here. You’re doing a great job.”
They landed beyond the edge of the creek. Ciaran was still on the rock in the middle of the creek, his hands covering his eyes.
Erin and Fianna stepped to the front of the mother rock.
“Bring the water,” Fianna looked to Liam. “It’s been spelled and the energy of love and nurturing has been doubled. The Dead Sea salt bag and the holy water we left upstream have opened and the vortex energy in the water is intensified. It’s about to reach us.”
“It’s time, girl. I think we need to make waves.” Liam extended his hand to Erin. She joined hands with him. They closed their eyes. The water upstream began to grow turbulent. A wave surfaced and grew taller, and within seconds, it was three times taller than a human was.
Jade noticed the water stayed within the confines of the creek. The wave remained tall, never diminishing. It was Liam and Erin’s magic. Decker pulled her back, further away from the creek edge. Jade turned just in time to see brilliant white light shining around Liam and Erin. Then the wave passed, obscuring them from her view. It began to descend and lower as the wall of water grew in width. It pummeled Ciaran. When it moved beyond the place he had been standing, he was no longer on the rock. The water seemed to churn and roll in the wave’s wake. After a time, the wave lessened until the water downstream moved at a normal flow once again.
Ciaran surfaced close to the bank near where Jade and Decker stood. He crawled out, sputtering and growling as he clawed his way up the bank. His shirt turned pink, then a deeper red.
Decker pulled them back and pushed Jade behind him. “Put your arms around my waist, babe. We can’t let him separate us. Before things get bad, we’ll fly again.”
She nodded and embraced him tightly.
Still on his hands and knees, Ciaran felt around blindly. He made a wobbly attempt to rise and fell to his knees again. Breathing seemed difficult for him.
He gave a load, angry roar.
Jade saw a tiny spark of orange within the obsidian on his ring. The color darkened again but a dull glimmer remained. His skin was discolored, angry, and puffy. His white shirt was mostly pink. Patches of red began to seep through. Blood streamed from his hands and ran down his face now.
He sniffed the air then turned his head in the direction of Jade and Decker and snarled. His eyes shone an unholy reddish-black.
“Join hands,” Aunt Neave urged from her place on the vortex rock. “Let’s tune into the Mother energy of the vortex and send it to him. He’s weakened. The increased energy will weaken him further. We’ll send it to him in full force.
Ciaran emitted a deep growl, and tried to stand. On his second attempt, though he was unbalanced and wavering precariously, he rose to his full height. He sent a particularly savage growl in Jade and Decker’s direction. His breathing began to sound more uneven and labored.
The dark one raised his arms. He lifted a few feet off the ground then fell back to the bright red earth, landing on his stomach with a dull thud.
He began to chant words that Jade didn’t recognize. He did make it to his feet more easily this time. Again, an orange spark glimmered in the stone he wore on his finger. This time, when he raised his arms, the orange burned a little brighter. He chanted louder then took a few steps, jumped, and flew toward Cathedral Rock. Within seconds, the small black dot on the horizon disappeared completely.
The dense energy lifted immediately. To Jade, it seemed the sun burned brighter. Liam and Erin still extended their joined hands over the creek, calming the waters. Neave, Fianna, Brody, and Harper still held hands. Niall held on to a dazed and teary Lauren’s wrist.
“Did he leave?” Brody asked when he opened his eyes.
Aunt Neave closed her eyes for several seconds. She smiled. “He’s nowhere near. We hurt him badly. I believe it will take him some time to recover. The important thing is we hurt him. Enough for him to retreat, and I’ve never, in eight hundred years, heard of him retreating. Others have only managed
to hurt him enough to slow him down and get away.”
“Where did he go? And how much time do we have to regroup?” Decker asked as the others crossed the creek to join him and Jade. He pressed a kiss to Jade’s temple and pulled her closer against his side. He wasn’t quite ready to let go of her yet.
Niall shrugged. “Well, I don’t think he’ll be around tonight, or in the next week. It will give you time to work harder and improve your skills. We have time to talk about what happened as a group and improve on what we accomplished for next time.”
“Michael?” Lauren asked quietly.
Decker looked to her. “Yes?”
“You don’t love me anymore, do you?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t, Lauren. I’m not sure I ever did.”
Lauren sniffled. Tears flowed. “Okay.” She nodded and lowered her head. “I want to go home,” she said, a pout curving her lips downward.
“I’ll call your father when we get to the house. You need help. You realize that, don’t you?” Decker spoke to her in a gentler tone that time.
“I guess so. No. I just don’t know anymore,” Lauren Asherton began a crying jag that was still going on when her father arrived at the Decker’s Sedona residence to get her thirty-five minutes later.
Fianna had volunteered to sit in the study with Lauren while Decker talked to her father. She’d only had to slap her back into the chair with a little push of magic once.
“Thank you, Michael. After what happened three years ago, you could have easily had her arrested this time. Her mother and I suspected several weeks ago that she was back on the drugs. It’s why we brought her to Sedona. When she disappeared two nights ago, I began looking up proper facilities that might help her. I found an elite rehab center in Hawaii. I decided containing her on an island would be the best way. She’ll have no money to leave, and her mother and I will stay nearby to support her through this. I think we may stay there for a couple of years, maybe longer. Until I know she is clean and wants to stay that way.”
Decker nodded. “I think that’s a great idea, Mr. Asherton. Good luck.”
Decker left the room, allowing Lauren’s father to enter the study alone to collect his daughter.
Liam waited in the entryway to lock the door after they left. He and Fianna followed Decker.
“Well!” Niall flashed a wide smile. “I truly believe that Ciaran suffered badly today. Well done, all of you! I don’t think he’ll stir this evening. Therefore, I think a celebration is in order.”
“There’s a real good bar and grill just this side of Sedona. Or there’s Mexican Food, and a Steak House in town,” Brody suggested.
“There’s an Irish Pub. It’s small, but they have Irish beer. The food is definitely not Irish, just burgers, wings and nachos,” Decker added.
“Does everyone feel like going out then? If so, I’ll let one of you choose. My vote is for Mexican food. That’s something Fianna and I rarely get to eat. But if it’s Irish you’re wantin’ I can pop the real thing in.”
“Why don’t we go to the Mexican Food restaurant? Other than today, we haven’t been out of the house since we arrived in Sedona. We can always come back and raise a few Irish beers,” Liam suggested.
“That sounds perfect.” Jade grinned.
“That is a grand idea!” Niall agreed.
“Let’s clean up and go. The place gets busy after six,” Brody informed them.
“Wow!” Decker grinned in appreciation when Jade exited the bathroom. She was wearing black skinny jeans, with a dark green, lace top. She wore her Claddagh necklace and silver hoops in her ears. She was beautiful without make-up, but she’d applied some mascara, shadow, eyeliner, a hint of blush, and a natural looking pinky-brown lipstick. She looked gorgeous and sexy.
“I don’t think I’ve put on make-up since I’ve been in Sedona, and I’ve scarcely been out of my yoga pants or my old jeans.”
“You’re beautiful and never need make-up but you look great with it, and you look amazing in skinny jeans. And lace.” His gaze dropped approvingly to her lace-covered bosom. Looking closely, he could tell she was wearing a black lace bra underneath her top. Have I told you I have a thing for lace?”
“No. But I will definitely tuck that bit of information away for future reference.” She flashed a sexy grin at him.
“Yeah? I like surprises too,” he added. “Especially ones involving lace.” He gave her that devastating smile.
“Really? I’m sure I can think of some way to surprise you in the future. Who knows, you may even have a surprise in store tonight.” Her lips turned upward. There was a mischievous sparkle in her mossy green eyes.
His large hands slipped from her waist to slide over her bottom.
“No panties?” he asked as his hands caressed her smooth bottom.
“Wrong. I’m wearing panties.” She raised an amused brow and the corners of her mouth twitched as she tried not to smile.
His hands left the firm curves. He leaned around and slid one hand up, bunching up the green lace top to her waistband. He pulled the band of her jeans away from her skin. He peered down at those nice, bare, round globes and noticed the fine black lace strip between them. An appreciative grin lit his face.
“Damn. A black lace thong!” He let go a low whistle. “Do you really feel like going out?” he teased as he straightened and pulled her against him.
“I do. We’re celebrating. We’ll have fun. It’s not my fault you ruined your surprise for later, Decker,” she teased him as she slid her arms around his neck. Her lips were only inches from his.
“It’s not ruined. I get to look forward to peeling off those jeans later and getting up close and personal with your black lace thong,” his whisper was seductive and alluring.
“Ah. Then I have something to anticipate also.”
“Yes. I can assure you that you do. Many things, as a matter of fact. I like to give surprises too.” One hand playfully smacked her bottom. He brushed a quick kiss against her lips and stepped away.
“You ready?”
She picked up her black bag. “I’m ready.”
“And I’m starving. Let’s go.” Decker laced his fingers with hers and pulled her toward the door.
She picked up a sheer, feather light, black sweater for when it cooled off after dark.
Decker was so handsome. The man looked great in jeans with that tapered waist, muscular thighs, and that gorgeous butt. Tonight he wore a pair of fine-fitting Levi’s and a V-necked, black shirt that fit his upper torso perfectly.
“I’m starving too! I’m looking forward to going out, and I’m with the man I love. All is well in my world,” she laughed happily then lifted up on her toes, intending to press a kiss against his cheek as his arm slid about her waist.
He moved in on purpose and caught her lips, kissing her senseless. “I couldn’t help myself,” he murmured as he lifted his head.
She smiled. “I’m not complaining about a kiss from you, and I never will, especially one like that.”
“Neither will I, babe.” He took her hand and led her down the corridor. “We celebrate tonight. You and I, Jade Murphy, have a great deal to celebrate.” He gave her a wink.
“We definitely do!” Jade agreed with him. There was so much to celebrate tonight.
They enjoyed their dinner. The mood was festive. They laughed a lot, and shared a few toasts. They returned to the house and sat on the deck in the welcome cool of the Sedona night. Their earlier, lively mood dimmed a bit as they went over everything that had happened that day.
When they moved indoors, they spoke of what was yet to come. Talked of what they needed to do to be ready for Ciaran when he returned.
The next day there would be no work, no worrying. It would be a day to relax and have fun. It was their last day with Niall and Fianna before they returned to Ireland. The Decker brothers planned to show their guests some of the spectacular sights the Sedona area had to offer.
For the time being,
Niall and Fianna planned to join them on most weekends. They had a hotel to manage, and it was summer, their peak season. Aunt Neave would stay and go on to Chandler with Decker and the others when they left in two days. She would administer their lessons during the week.
The girls and Aunt Neave would stay at Decker’s house once they returned to the Valley of the Sun. After staying in the Sedona house, it would seem a little crowded, but they felt it would be easier to work together that way, and much safer for everyone. In their down time, Brody and Liam would set up the new security system in the girls’ apartment, so it was ready when this was finished and they returned home.
They had a lot of hard work to do in order to be prepared for the next time they faced Ciaran. They all knew there would be one. Ciaran would return after he healed. Aunt Neave had explained that the part of him that was wounded was human and that’s how they had been able to hurt him. He was also part demon. As he had never been wounded so badly in his eight hundred years, Aunt Neave and Niall assured them he would come back with a vengeance. They must be ready when he did. They had been lucky today. They had surprised Ciaran. There was a chance they could never surprise him again as effectively as they had this time.
Their priority was to be ready for Ciaran when he came at them. That meant they had a lot to learn and work on before that happened.
“I’ll have you know that once this is finished, Fianna and I expect all of you to come to Ireland and have a nice long holiday with us,” Niall announced. “Have any of you ever been to our Emerald Isle?”
“No, but I want to, especially now,” Decker said.
“Me too!” Jade added. She smiled at Decker as he took her hand in his.
“None of you have been? Well, you will make a visit very soon. Niall and I will show you everything. We’ll make it a grand time!” Fianna assured them.
Decker's Fate (The Decker Brothers Trilogy Book 1) Page 40
