“I understand. But our lab is curious to know for sure-”
“I really have to go,” I say growing irritated with both the man and whoever it was that was pounding on my door.
“I can get the door,” Summer announces finally, after emerging from her TV trance.
“No. I got it. You stay right there,” I instruct her.
“Ms. Johnson,” The tone of the man’s voice darkened and a part of me froze. “We have reason to believe that you may not be...”
“Destiny! Are you there? It’s Erick.”
“Yeah! One second!” I shout at the door again. “Look, it is what it is-”
“...Ma’am you do not seem to understand-”
“Sorry to have wasted your time-”
“There are others like you-“
I calmly place my phone on the receiver and race to answer the door. Standing outside on my porch, looking every bit his devilishly handsome self is Erick. A red V-neck did little to hide those thick pectorals of his. Sun-kissed caramel skin and deep, chocolate brown, slanted eyes gazed back at me. With his hands shoved into his pockets, I made a quick note of his six foot plus height. They surely do not make men like him around these parts -not even in Los Angeles.
“You look better,” he said with a smirk.
“I feel better,” I say still holding his gaze.
“That’s good,” he said, eyeing me up and down. “That’s real good. Means the tea worked.”
“It did and thank you so much for calling HR on my behalf this morning.” Erick must have seriously been sent from the heavens because he has been an absolute blessing these last twenty-four hours.
He shrugged. “No worries. I did not want them to put you on the No-Show/No-call list. I tried to call you, but your phone must be dead.”
“Yeah, it died shortly after I spoke with Cindy…” My voice trails off as a stream of new voices enters my mental space. I turn around to see what Summer is up to, and she is still glued to the TV as if her life depends on it. And then it happens again.
Her.
Hazel eyes glare at the lifeless body of a man whose youthful appearance hid the reality of a life well lived for eons. Eyes shaped like mine, with the same almond color. Similar cheek bones lined his face, and as crimson blood oozed from several wounds in his body, the youthful appearance slowly melted away as Death claimed him. Suddenly my own body feels the very moment life takes its exit from his body, and I double over, grimacing at the cold grip of death. This woman had drained him of his power before plunging her dagger into him multiple times.
I stumble back, snatching away from Erick as he tries to keep me from falling. I lean against the frame of my door, breathing heavily as I struggle to shake this vision.
A smile creeps along the outline of her face as victory fire lights in her eyes. Drainer-a word unfamiliar to me before somehow becomes familiar to me now. What is her name? Seconds slowly beat by before she wipes her gold handled dagger with her cloak and turns her back on the fallen king.
What is her name?
“Tell me your name,” I hear myself command to the vision.
Guards storm into the chamber room, and she boldly faces them, unafraid for her life. Beneath their heavily armored faces, I can sense their confusion and horror. Yet without a word, they fall to their knees in surrender. The woman calmly tucks her dagger into her cleavage, allowing the handle to remain in full view.
“Tell me your name,” I whisper. I need to know who this woman is. Why is she haunting me? Am I really losing it?
She begins to speak, but her voice is muted. Does she feel me watching? I need to know her name. I hear my own name being called but I refuse to pull away from this right now. I am too close. For the love of God, I just need a name. Erick is shaking me. My daughter is calling me. And then…the woman turns around and this time, I feel as if her eyes are burning a hole right into my soul.
“Destiny!” Erick’s call infuriates me because this time he is not helping. This time he is in the way. I need to know her name.
“Tell me your name!” I scream at the apparition, and for an instant time seems to stop. I do not know what I am doing or why I am doing it. I pull away from Erick as his eyes become hers, his face blends into hers. She took something that did not belong to her. I raise my palm, and from it a bright blue light shoots out and into his chest, knocking him off the porch.
Summer’s screams snap me out of the trance, and like a whisper in the wind, her name comes to me: Karrine.
Chapter Six
Demetrius
Demetrius’ eyes snapped open as he shot up quickly from the large black sectional in the living room. His skin rippled with blue-white energy, his locs lifted from his broad shoulders as a result of the powerful charge. He felt it. The rush had been like something he’d never imagined. Cecilia’s eyes lit with excitement as she stared at her brother, a silent answer hung between them. The heir had Awakened. Magic was used. Their prayers were answered. Now they would be able to locate this woman with ease.
“Whoa,” Cecilia said, gazing at her brother. “That was a powerful kick.”
“Yeah, I know. I wonder what triggered it,” Demetrius replied.
Agatha emerged from the bedroom, her palms crackling with electricity. “I feel a thousand times stronger,” she said in awe. “I haven’t felt like this since-”
“I know,” Demetrius stated, cutting her off. “Don’t even say it.”
“We need to move,” Drakus announced from the kitchen. “If we felt it, Karrine definitely felt it.”
“We are close,” Cecilia said, closing her eyes. “I can feel her.”
Demetrius frowned. “Use your telepathy Cecilia. Can you see her? We need a bead on her.”
Cecilia shook her head, but still kept her eyes closed. “A little. She is standing outside…”
“What does she look like?” Agatha demanded, marching towards Cecilia.
“She is…the image I am picking up is a bit blurry,” Cecilia confessed. “She is the color of almond wood, with dark eyes and dark hair that surrounds her face. She is standing next to someone…” Cecilia’s gasp cut through the silence of the room like a blade. All eyes studied her intensely as she struggled to find the words to articulate the vision. “No. No. This can’t be right.”
“What?” Demetrius demanded. “What are you talking about?”
“Erick, son of Dham is with her.”
Drakus and Demetrius cursed while Agatha looked away.
“How is that possible?” Agatha asked after a beat. “How did he find her?”
“Why is he even here, is the big question?” Drakus added. “Karrine banished him—stripped him of his magic. I thought he’d been exiled to the dark realms like his sister, but apparently not.”
With a quick stretch of his hand, Drakus summoned the long blade that rested in the corner near the window, into his grip. “We have to leave. Now. Cecilia, stay with her. If Erick takes her, our chances of saving her are slim to none.”
“Try zero,” Demetrius grumbled.
“I will drive,” Agatha announced, making her way to the door while the others checked their weapons.
“Good,” Demetrius said, sheathing his throwing dagger onto his utility belt. “Because I hate everything about this realm – especially the cars.”
“Our magic will be strong enough once again,” Agatha said with a smile. “The basic simplicities of this world will be considered ancient commodities.”
****
Erick
She hit me with pure, scorching hot magic. Fire from her soul. As I fly off her porch, hitting the hard, cold pavement with a thud, my body is ignited with a power that I yearned for since my Draining. My chest burns, and it is difficult to suck in a full breath of air, but I feel it—a dark surge courses through my veins, blackening them for a few seconds before returning to the normal blue green color. I wince from the pain of it all. I struggle to sit up but felt myself collapse backwards.
<
br /> “Oh my God! I’m so sorry Erick!”
I hear Destiny running up to me, but I wave her off. I can’t believe I found her. I can’t believe how powerful she is. I can’t believe that my own power, my personal magic is returning to me after many years of impotency. I smile. Finally.
She is on her knees, attempting to examine the injury, but unbeknownst to her, the third-degree burns are healing.
“I-I-I...” she begins hiccup crying, her trembling hands forcing me on my back for a better view of what was done. But all she sees is the large hole in my shirt, and no burn.
“You and I need to talk,” I manage to say to her. Breathing is slowly becoming easier. Perhaps I can sit up now.
“I don’t know what happened,” she whispers, examining her hands. I can sense her fear surrounding around her aura.
“Shit,” I grumble, pushing myself off of the ground. She takes my hands and helps me to my feet, which is deeply appreciated.
“I’m so sorry Erick,” She apologizes once again.
“Don’t apologize for what you are,” I tell her. She stops walking and looks at me, confusion written all over her face. “I have been looking for you for twenty years Destiny. You have no idea how happy you just made me.”
Chapter Seven
Destiny
“Don’t apologize for what you are,” Erick tells me. What am I? I just blasted him off of my porch with…I don’t even know what it is. The shit ignited in the center of my hand while in the midst of my hallucination about that woman- about…Karrine. Normal people do not suffer from the levels of migraines I suffered from. Normal people do not suffer from intense visions that temporarily take over reality. And most importantly, normal people do not shoot out blasts of energy from their palms like a character from Street Fighter.
I nervously glance at my palms that still crackle with bright blue energy. The tingling is a bit unnerving, and I clench my fists once Erick is steady enough to walk on his own. I’m covered in sweat with adrenaline still making my heart beat a million times per second. Summer is standing in the doorway, her eyes wide, palm firmly planted over her mouth, not uttering a sound. She steps to the side and allows us entry and closes the door.
“What am I Erick?” I ask once the door is closed and Summer takes a seat on the couch. Her eyes bounce from Erick to me, searching for an explanation. Erick rubs the center of his chest through the hole that still singes with smoke. He looks at me, his expression unreadable and then releases a slow exhale.
“Destiny,” he begins. “You might want to have a seat. We don’t have much time now that you have Awakened.”
“Awakened to what?” I ask, still confused. My palms feel like they are on fire now and I stretch them out. I examine my fingers closely, frightened and amazed at the wavy blue aura that surrounds them.
“Magic,” Erick tells me. He looks around nervously, his gaze locking on the direction outside of the door. “Grab what you can carry,” he orders. “Please. We don’t have a lot of time.”
I stop examining my fingers and glance over at him. “What do you mean ‘we don’t have a lot of time’?”
“Listen,” Erick huffs as he approaches me. “I need for you to trust me. There are…” he stops to look back at the door. “There are people that are after you Destiny. That’s why I’m here.”
He grips me by my shoulders and holds my gaze. “Trust me. I will explain everything. But take everything you can carry, including you and your daughter’s I.Ds. Now hurry!” He urges me to move forward. Summer looks at me, shrugs and leads the way upstairs to our rooms.
“So, I guess no school for me tomorrow?” She quizzed, looking back at me.
At this point I do not know what to do, let alone what to think. Erick is standing by the door, shoulders tense, expression grim. I look at my palms again. The blue light illuminates a soft glow.
“That’s so cool mom,” Summer says, inching closer. She reaches out to touch my palm, and the blue light dances along her finger tips and crawls up her arm before disappearing. “Woooooowwww. You have magic!”
I smile weakly. “I don’t know what this is Summer.”
She looks at me, smile fading and says, “Mom. I don’t know if we can trust him.”
“At this point he is all we have,” I say softly. “I need answers Summer.”
Summer looked away. “I know.”
I swallow thickly. Erick has been nothing but a godsend since the craziness began. I think about the last twenty- four hours and wonder what possible motive Erick could have. But in this moment, I don’t have anyone else to turn to.
“Let’s go grab your backpack,” I say to her.
“But mom, what if he hurts us?”
I look back at Erick who is still facing the door, his hand gripping the end of a dagger. I return my focus to my child, whose eyes hold a hint of worry, fear and something else. “I have magic, remember?” I show her my hands. “You saw what they are capable of. But I just…”
Summer nods and heads for her room to pack. She has every right to be worried. And to be honest, I do, too. But what choice do I have?
I head to Summer’s room, suddenly saddened that the purple and white décor, the self-made portraits she brought home from school, pictures of her that lined the walls may never be seen again. I cannot imagine how life would be for us if we returned. Normalcy would be a thing of the past. And if what Erick says is true, our safety within these walls will be compromised. Summer is seated in the center of the room, struggling to decide which of her dolls she would take with her. I step out and go into the hallway closet and pull out a duffle bag and return into her room.
“Take all of your dolls,” I say to her fighting back tears. “They are going to need you.”
She takes the duffle bag. “Thanks mom. Let’s see…”
While Summer is trying to figure out how to organize her choices, I reach into her drawer and pull out several changes of clothes including underwear, socks, pajamas, and of course what Erick suggested we take. I even add her favorite purple blanket that she’s had since she was a toddler. When she is packed and ready to go, I rush over to my room, grab a few changes of clothes, a few toiletries and just as I set my duffle bag outside the door, a huge blast rocks the house, leaving what was once my front door a huge gaping hole. Erick quickly jumped to his feet, ready for whatever was about to step through. With duffle in hand, I rush to my daughter’s room and she is standing in the hall, gripping her bags.
“Let’s go!” I tell her.
Running down the stairs, I snatch my bag and keys, but Erick waves a hand motioning us to stop. Several pairs of heavy footsteps close in, and I force Summer to duck down behind the counter with me. Three Goliath sized men dressed in red tinted armor, donning long swords step through the wreckage. They survey the scene, their red eyes lowering to Erick who stands at the ready, with one hand behind his back gripping the dagger.
“Erick,” the tallest of the trio growled, “Son of Dham. It is no surprise that you, a spineless impotent twit found its way into the earth realm.”
“Fuck. You. Tor.” Erick spat, gripping the dagger tighter.
Tor and his two companions laughed heartily, unfazed by Erick’s insult. “You blend well with the humans. Queen Karrine did you a favor,” Tor said with a smirk.
From behind the counter, I study the dark leathery faces of the entities that now stood between us and freedom. My palms begin to crackle again, and I close them into a tight fist.
“What do you want?” I hear Erick say.
“Obviously you’re here for the same reasons we are,” Tor answered. I feel his gaze rake over the kitchen area where Summer and I hunkered down. “Her power is strong here. Stand down Erick and you will not be harmed. You will be permitted to remain unmolested here in this cesspool of human filth -where you belong.”
Tor’s smile widened exposing what appeared to be endless rows of sharp serrated teeth. I swallow thickly, the blue light in my palms concentr
ating.
“How about this,” Erick begins. “The three of you turn around and go back to being the good little lap dogs that you are, and I won’t have to kill you.”
The three large entities glared at Erick for a moment before erupting into loud, raucous laughter once more.
“You?” Tor quizzed. “You are about as threatening as a neutered, three-legged water beast. The Queen stripped you of your po-“
Tor’s silence was followed by the sharp gasp from his two companions. Dark shadowy entities filtered out of Erick’s left palm in swift sweeping motion and entered Tor’s opened mouth. Tor’s dark skin turned ashen, his red eyes yellowed instantly. Angry, oozing blisters formed on his face, pulsating with each second as if threatening to erupt. A small croak for help sprang from Tor’s lips before he combusted on sight. I covered my daughter with my body to shield her as my living room and kitchen were splattered with crimson blood, tissue and other bits of vital organs that were part of this entity.
The two remaining entities looked at Erick, their shocked expressions quickly glazed over into rage and they both lunged.
“Run!” Erick yells to me and Summer as he effortlessly dodged the swing of a spiked mace. I grab Summer’s hand and the two of us rush for the door but are instantly blocked by one of the males. His glare shifts from me to my daughter and he smiles.
“Looks like we struck gold, Grinder!” he shouts. “Two for the price of one!”
A strange voice fills my mental space, and the image of an entity that resembled me appeared. “Use your magic,” he commands me. “Use my magic!”
Fear for my daughter’s safety nearly strangles me and without further command, I release the concentrated energy from my palm into my assailant and blast him through the side window. Glass shatters and Summer ducks behind me for cover. I shield my face and wait a beat before continuing to make our exit. I look to my right just in time to see Erick stab another entity with a dagger. His screams are cut off short as he is blackened to a crisp before disintegrating into ash. I don’t stop to ask any questions. Summer and I just keep going.
The Lost Queen- Mercury's Heir Page 4
