Touched by Darkness – An Urban Fantasy Romance (Book 1, The Sentinel Series)

by Catherine Spangler

  Most likely, she wouldn’t be the one to break the news to Luz, but she needed to be there to offer support. Luz had been a good friend, and a surrogate mother to Alex. Kara wasn’t sure how involved the relationship with Matt had been, but she knew Luz had been seeing him a long time, and would probably be grief stricken. Damien would not be a welcome presence.

  Luz’s house was a small cinder block structure similar to most of the old homes along River Road. Several gnarled live oak trees were situated around the house, which had the original tin roof and a small front porch with brick foundations for the wood support beams. The house and porch railings had been painted a sunny yellow, while the porch’s cement floor, the steps, and the door were a forest green. Large clay pots and a wood-slatted, hanging bench seat with brightly colored patio cushions filled the small porch space; wind chimes and light catchers festooned the upper beams.

  Two cars parked in the gravel driveway behind Luz’s white Ford pickup indicated Luz had visitors and already knew about Matt. Kara parked partly in the yard and went up the green steps. A dog’s distant barking and the melodic tones of the wind chimes drifted on the brisk breeze.

  Luz’s sister, Serafina, met Kara at the door. The smell of burning candles, incense, and fresh coffee drifted out around her. She looked tired and strained. “Hola,” she said softly.

  “Buenos días,” Kara replied, knowing she preferred Spanish over English. “Is Luz here?”

  Serafina stepped back, opened the door wider. “Entrar.”

  Luz’s living room was small, but the light coming through spotless windows made it look more open. Instead of curtains, Luz had put up natural-wood brackets and dowels, and draped them with white sheers that fluttered down each side. Tied bunches of drying herbs hung from the dowels.

  Against the interior wall, there was a lace-covered table with a statue of the Madonna. White, blue, and green candle pillars surrounding the Holy Mother were lit. A heavyset, older Hispanic woman whom Kara did not know backed away from the table and crossed herself. She shot Kara a glance and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Luz sat on a beige contemporary sofa flanked by sleek oak end tables. Her eyes were bloodshot in her color-leached face, and she was dressed in a gray sweat suit. Without her usual makeup and vivid clothing, she looked young and vulnerable.

  Kara went to her and sank down beside her to give her a big hug. “Oh, Luz, I’m so sorry. So very sorry.”

  With a sob, Luz returned the hug. “I cannot believe it. Mi novio es ido. Who could have done such a thing?”

  “I don’t know.” Kara sat back, well aware no words could ease Luz’s pain. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “No…there is nothing.” Luz’s voice broke. Serafina, who was hovering nearby, offered her a tissue. Luz blew her nose, then said, “Unless you want to call off that police chief, Greer. He’s already been by to ask me where I was last night.”

  “Did he say anything else?” Kara asked, feeling guilty because she knew Damien had pointed Tom in that direction.

  “Only that people had seen me fighting with Matthew, and that I should not leave town. As if I would run away.” Luz sent Kara a startling, malevolent glare. “I know that man told him, that Damien. He hit Matt at the tavern on Sunday night. I told the chief he should be talking to him instead of me.”

  “Damien hit Matt?” Kara wondered why Damien had withheld this information. She couldn’t see any point in asking Luz about Matt hitting her.

  “Sí. And he threatened him. Now my Matthew is dead!” Luz’s dark eyes glittered, and she started chanting in Spanish, her voice low and harsh. “I call un maldición—a curse—upon this Damien!”

  “Luz! You don’t mean that.”

  “Oh, sí, I do.”

  Serafina stepped beside the couch, her expression fierce. “I put my own maldición. May this Damien die in gran agonia and rot with el Diablo.”

  Shocked by the venom in her voice, Kara stared at the young woman, who was usually quiet and soft-spoken. But her attention was drawn back to Luz, who wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth, muttering in Spanish. “¡Cabrón!” she shrilled suddenly.

  “Who, Damien?” Kara asked, totally nonplussed by her behavior.

  “Matthew.” Luz’s expression grew hard, all traces of grief vanishing. “¡Pinche pendejo! How dare he go and get himself killed!”

  “Luz,” Kara said gently. “You don’t mean that. You’re not yourself right now.”

  Instantly, Luz’s expression shifted back to one of sadness, and she sighed. “Forgive me, camadre. You are right, I am not myself.”

  “It’s understandable.” But Kara wasn’t sure she believed that. “You’re in shock, and you’re grieving.”

  “You know me so well.” Luz took Kara’s hand and squeezed it. “I am glad you are here.”

  But the ugly head of suspicion reared inside Kara, and a disconcerting fear—of Luz—made her end the visit as quickly as she could.

  * * * *

  “That was a great supper, Mrs. Cantrell. Spaghetti is one of my favorites, and yours was delicious.” Alex’s new friend picked up his empty plate and placed his silverware on it. “Let me help with the dishes.”

  “Thank you on the compliment, and please call me Jenny. I’d like to retain at least the illusion of middle age for awhile longer.” Alex’s grandmother smiled and started stacking dirty plates. She waved Luke back to his seat when he tried to help. “No, sit down. I’ll do the dishes later. It’s time for dessert. Homemade pecan pie and ice cream.”

  Luke’s eyes lit up, just like Mr. Morgan’s did when dessert was served. It was Alex’s favorite part of the meal, too. It just was totally weird that Luke was here.

  Over at Luke’s earlier, Alex had told him about the ghost appearing in Zorro and then again at his grandparents’ house. Luke asked him a bunch of questions, then put his motorcycle in the garage.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go meet your grandparents and see if we can sweet-talk them into letting me check out your room.”

  Alex didn’t know what “sweet-talk” entailed, but he didn’t think his grandmother would let a stranger—and a big, scary-looking dude at that—into the house. But Luke had smiled and introduced himself to both Grandma and Grandpa, and they’d let him in.

  Alex thought he felt a flare of power during the introductions, and wondered if Luke was using something like “the force” to put his grandparents into some sort of trance. But they kept acting normal, except they invited Luke to stay for dinner.

  The invitation to dinner convinced Alex that Luke had done something with his powers to assure Grandma and Grandpa that he was an okay guy, but it had been ultra fast, like a stealth bomber under the radar. Sweet. Alex hoped he could use his powers like that some day, without worrying about a Belian or other bad guy being able to figure it out.

  Grandma brought the pie to the table, and Luke ate two big pieces with ice cream, along with a large glass of milk. “Best pecan pie I ever had,” he said finally, patting his belly. “You sure I can’t help in here, Mrs.—I mean, Jenny?”

  “I’m positive,” she said firmly. “That’s what the dishwasher is for.”

  “Great dinner and great pie, Jen.” Grandpa rose and gave Grandma a quick kiss on the cheek. He looked at Luke. “NBA game just started—Dallas Mavericks versus the Miami Heat. Care to join me?”

  “It’s supposed to be a good game.” Luke pushed back his chair and stood. “But I think Alex wants to show me his room.” He smiled at Grandma, and Alex felt a brief flare of power. “If that’s all right with you.”

  “Of course it is. I think it’s wonderful that you’re willing to spend time with him.” Grandma stepped close and whispered, “He doesn’t have a father. Some attention from a male adult would be good for him.”

  She thought Alex couldn’t hear her, but he’d recently figured out he had much better hearing than other “regular” people did. He guess
ed it went with his special powers.

  “Thank you for telling me that,” Luke said. “I like kids, and I’ll enjoy Alex’s company during his visit here.” He looked at Alex and gestured toward the hallway. “Come on, bro, let’s check out your room.”

  They left Grandma in the kitchen, humming a tune. Alex had never heard her hum before. Grandpa was settling down in front of the big-screen TV, his attention focused on a bunch of women dressed in what looked like bathing suits and dancing all around.

  Luke’s attention also fixed on the TV. “Very nice.”

  Rolling his eyes, Alex tugged on his arm. “Come on. Let’s go to my room.” He led the way down the hall. “What does ‘bro’ mean?” he asked.

  With another glance back at the TV, Luke followed. “It’s short for brother. You’re one of the brothers now, part of the White Brotherhood. Is this your room?”

  “Yeah. What’s the White Brotherhood?”

  “It’s what the priesthood on Atlantis was originally called.” Luke looked around the room. “Sometimes it’s still used when referring to Sentinels as a whole, although the term is misleading.”

  “Atlantis? What’s that? Why is the White Brotherhood misleading?”

  “Lot of questions there, bro.” Luke sat on the edge of the bed. “Atlantis was a continent that existed many, many years ago, but it sank into the Atlantic Ocean. Most people believe it’s just a myth, but that’s actually where Sentinels originated.”

  Alex stared at him in amazement. “It sank, the whole country? The Sentinels didn’t drown?”

  Luke shook his head. “It’s extremely complicated, and not my place to explain it to you. But when you’re on the Internet, do a little research on Atlantis. I think you’ll find some amazing stuff. Just remember a lot of it is wrong.

  “As for the White Brotherhood, the term is misleading because it’s not about ethnic race, like white or black or Asian. ‘White’ is referring to good, to the light of God. ‘Brotherhood’ is a loose translation from the ancient language, but it doesn’t really fit since there are also female Sentinels.”

  “Girl Sentinels?” Alex didn’t know what he thought about that.

  Luke smiled. “Yeah. And some of them are pretty hot. Now, let’s check out this ghost.”

  “I think it’s the same ghost that came to my house in Zorro,” Alex said. “But is that possible? Aren’t ghosts trapped in one place?”

  “No, that’s a myth. Ghosts don’t have physical bodies, so they’re not tied to the physical realm like we are,” Luke explained. “If this so-called ghost wants to talk to you, it can follow you anywhere. Give me a minute, okay?”

  He glanced around the room again, closed his eyes. His hand went to his chest, rested there. Alex could really feel the power surge then. “Hey! Have you got a necklace like Mr. Morgan?”

  Luke cracked one eye open. “If it’s a quartz crystal framed in silver, then yeah, I do. I need you to be quiet now, and let me work.”

  “Cool,” Alex said, already plotting to bug Mr. Morgan or Luke until he got his own necklace. But he remained quiet, watching Luke, who sat completely still, his eyes closed and his hand over his crystal.

  Then the most amazing thing happened. Alex saw Luke start to glow, like he had a bright light outlining him. It was white right around his body, but it had other layers of color on the outer edges, dark blue and a kinda of purple. “Wow,” Alex breathed.

  “See something?” Luke asked without opening his eyes.

  “You’ve got light and colors around you!”

  “That’s just my aura. Stay quiet a while longer, then I’ll explain it to you.”

  This was so totally iced, Alex could hardly sit still. But he did, and while he waited, he concentrated on the energies Luke was using. They were becoming familiar to him now.

  After a few minutes, Luke took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He smiled at Alex. “Okay, bro, this doesn’t appear to be a bad ghost. It won’t hurt you.” He held out his hand. “Hold onto me and I’ll show you what it looks like.”

  “You can see it?” Alex asked, not at all sure he wanted to go any further.

  “The ghost isn’t here now. I can see the energy it left behind. So can you, if you’ll take my hand, and let me show you.”

  “Is it scary?”

  “Nah. Nothing worse than Casper. Besides, you’re a Sentinel, bro. You can handle it.” Luke’s hand remained outstretched, his gaze steady.

  A Sentinel. The words whispered through Alex, beckoning him like a powerful lure, one even stronger than getting to watch Star Wars or Star Trek, or winning a soccer game. He finally belonged somewhere, with people who were like him.

  Slowly, he stretched out his hand and placed it in Luke’s.

  * * * *

  It was after dark when Damien returned to the house with a bag of hamburgers, cheese fries, and strawberry milkshakes from the Busy Bee. The aroma of fast food and ice cream wafted inside the house with him. The door closed behind him, and the bolt turned to the locked position, both without physical assistance.

  Kara was curled up on the couch, trying to focus on the paperwork she had stacked next to her. She’d been pretty much unsuccessful, upset by her visit with Luz, as well as distracted by thoughts of the upcoming conduction. She watched Damien set the food on the dining room table. He pulled an indigo pillar candle from his duster pocket and also set it on the table. She knew it was for the conduction, and her heart skipped a beat.

  “Any luck at the crime scene?” she asked.

  “Yes.” He took off the duster, walked over to hang it on the wall rack by the front door. “I picked up a strong energy trail. Should be able to get a good conduction.”

  He strolled to the overstuffed chair, sleek and graceful, reminding her of a very dangerous wild animal. He settled into the chair, looking deceptively relaxed. “Anything unusual at the office today?”

  Kara didn’t mention her solitary visit to Luz, although she’d been badly shaken by it. She didn’t want to deal with Damien’s certain reaction right now. She’d tell him later.

  “Sharon Wills, Doris’s oldest daughter, came by. She’s staying in Zorro for the rest of the month, to close up Doris’s house. The memorial service is tomorrow, at two o’clock.” She tried to push away the overwhelming press of grief and sadness.

  “I’ll go with you.” It was a command, not an option.

  “That’s fine.”

  He stared at her thoughtfully. “Anything else happen?”

  “Nothing major.” She sighed. “But four of my appointments cancelled. They told Bonnie they wouldn’t associate with anyone who was living in sin. I guess they heard the latest rumors about you and me.”

  “You know Texas is part of the Bible Belt.”

  “Apparently a lot of those ‘Bible Belters’ are extremely interested in sin. Almost every adult patient I saw today asked about you. And Mike Johnson made a pass at me.”

  Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Did he give you a hard time?”

  “I can handle inappropriate remarks and occasional gropings.”

  “He groped you?” His voice chilled about a hundred degrees.

  “I did not say that.” Kara rolled her eyes. “Down, boy! You don’t have to come to my rescue. You’d be surprised how many men lust after their female doctors, or fantasize about them. Some women do, too, but that’s another can of worms.”

  “You don’t have to come to my rescue, either,” Damien said. “You shouldn’t have told Greer we’d been together all night, especially in front of that crowd.”

  “He had no right to imply that you might be the murderer, and without any proof. Not only that, but I didn’t want him focusing on you, when he needs to be looking for the real killer.” She rolled her head, trying to ease the stiffness from her shoulders. “As you pointed out yesterday, your car parked in my driveway all night is pretty much the equivalent of waving a red flag and shouting ‘Dr. Cantrell is having wild monkey sex wit
h that stranger’.”

  His eyes took on a burning intensity. “They’ll be right after tonight.”

  Desire flashed through her lower body, while her stomach felt like it was twisting itself into double knots. Her apprehension must have shown on her face—not that a mere human could hide anything from a Sentinel—because his expression softened. “Kara, you know I won’t hurt you.”

  Not physically, but the emotional ramifications were another matter entirely. She managed a small nod. “I know.”

  He rose and crossed to the couch, taking her chin in his hand. He tipped her face up, forcing her to meet his mesmerizing gaze. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes, I do.” She spoke the absolute truth. She’d trust this man with both her and Alex’s lives. He was a warrior, sworn to protect the innocent.

  “Good.” He released her, stepped back. “Do you want to eat first?”

  The double knots in her stomach twisted into triples. “I’m not hungry.”

  “I figured you wouldn’t be able to eat now. I’ll put the food away until afterward.” He took the bags into the kitchen, and she heard the fridge open and shut. He returned to the living room as she stood and stacked the files. Her hands were shaking.

  She straightened, smoothed her sweater. “I guess we’d better get to it.”

  He looked at her in that disconcerting way of his. “No sense putting it off.” He went to the table, picked up the candle, and gestured toward the hallway. “After you.”

  She walked to her bedroom, the sound of his boots thudding on the wood floor behind her. She flicked on the light, moved over by the bed. He came in behind her and sat in her wingback chair to pull off his boots. She watched him, imagining how magnificent he would look naked.

  In a few moments, she wouldn’t have to imagine.

  A sudden thought occurred to her. “What about protection?”

  He set the second boot by the first. “Sentinels are not susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases, as you probably already know. And the only way you can get pregnant is if a Sentinel soul chooses you as a birth parent.”

  She pressed her palm against her belly. “Would birth control prevent such a pregnancy?”

  “No.” He stood and unbuckled his belt. “But a pregnancy won’t occur unless The One and the Sentinel soul are convinced it’s feasible for all involved parties.” He slid the belt free, tossed it into the chair. “In other words, if it is God’s will, then it will be. Some things are out of our control.”