Entasy (Prophecies of The Nine) (5 page)
This could not be happening.
Wake up, dammit!
Pure fear overwhelmed me. I wanted to leave. I wanted to run away, but I was frozen in place. The hellish image before me made it impossible for me to do anything. Tears began to flow down my face as I watched the blood pool around the young man’s hair. Three men hovered over him, scratching and clawing at his clothes. His eyes were wide and fixated…he was dead. A misty image moved like a ghost trapped in water above the young dead man.
The mist took a moment to look back at the broken and battered body lying on the ground, but just as the apparition began to rise higher, the tall, bald one with black veiny streaks covering his head grinned wickedly. He used some supernatural force to draw the ghostlike image into himself.
Moving to back away, I clumsily kicked something, and as it clanged, the bald one turned to face me, his red eyes glowing as he watched my every move. The other two men turned to look at me but they were more cautious in their examination. I turned to run away, but they seized my wrist. Their sharp claws left deep puncture wounds in my arm, and the smallest of the three used his razor teeth to nip at my hand as I tried to free myself.
Without warning, a large man appeared in front of me. My attackers backed away in shock, but only briefly before they began to lunge at him. He spoke, but I could not comprehend what he was saying for some reason. Instead, I watched as he moved in a protective way to shield me from the danger. He grabbed one of the men by the throat and turned him to ash in his grip. The other creatures moved in to attack, but they too were now dust floating away as the wind picked up in the alley.
"Are you all right?" the mysterious man asked me, as he examined my wounds. Another tear slid down my cheek as I nodded yes. Unable to speak, I was frozen in place as I watched him intently. His copper-colored eyes flickered with golden flames causing me to stumble backwards over the broken box of cupcakes. He moved to catch me, his arms holding me as if I were made of paper.
"Careful there."
The sound of his baritone brogue was somehow soothing and familiar. I wanted him to continue to speak in the hopes it would distract my thoughts and calm my shattered nerves, but instead, the sensual tone of his voice made my body come alive. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he spoke.
"You are safe now. You don’t need to run away; they won’t be bothering you again." As another tear fell, he moved to wipe it with the pad of his thumb.
"What about that poor man over there? His body is still…and he is…dead," I muttered as tears continued to stream down my face.
He leaned down close to my neck, and his erotic scent–a mix of leather and sandalwood–permeated my senses as he brushed his lips close to my ear and whispered, "How are you able to see the Sluagh? That is a trait relegated only to those with supernatural lineage."
As much as I wanted to get lost in this moment, I knew this could not possibly be real. Real men in the real world did not look, sound, or smell this erotic…this was definitely a dream. His scent and his odd question left me shaky and uncertain. The only words I could muster were, "Excuse me?"
My fantasy man was about to say something else when the sound of metal scraping snapped his attention to its source. The tattooed man that had tried to grab me at the park appeared next to the dead body, the large sword in his hand sparking as he dragged the tip along the ground.
"Gavin."
My fantasy man’s deep voice no longer sounded seductive but full of malice. The tattooed man seemed to enjoy taunting my protector when he pointed the tip of his sword in my direction.
"That female belongs to Liam and I will die before I leave without her, warrior."
"That can be arranged, you worthless piece of shit."
In an instant, the two men were clashing. A sword flew into the air as the sound of fists meeting bone echoed in the alley. I backed up, trying to make my way out of this cramped space. I needed to run; I needed to be as far away from here as possible. This was not my fight and I was not meant to be here. I tried to contain the scream stuck in my throat, but as the two men moved unnaturally, I realized I needed to release all of the emotions I was feeling. The bloody male on the ground, this tattooed freak chasing me, this fight, it all came out in a high pitched shriek. My protector was momentarily distracted from the sound and he turned to look at me. The tattooed male grinned and unexpectedly appeared behind me. His breath hot against my ear, he whispered, "I have you now, bitch."
* * * * * * * * *
"LET ME GO!"
Dillon and an unknown male barged into the room with their guns drawn. "What’s wrong, Kylah? Who is touching you?"
"I don’t know. Just a minute ago I was…not here." I shook my head wildly in disbelief as tears began to fall. "But that’s impossible. How could I be in two places at once?"
Dillon moved to sit next to me, holding me as I cried. Through my tears I curiously watched as this unknown man went about checking the office, looking in places that no one could actually be in. This must be one of Dillon’s guards, because why else would he be in the office? I was still trembling when Dillon pushed me off his shoulder to look at me. "Has someone hurt you?"
The tall, dark-haired man with blue-green eyes made a final check of the kitchen. "Everything is clear, Dillon. Nothing here, and nothing ever entered the room."
I addressed my response to this man. "No, not here. I was in an alley. I saw them, I felt them. They wanted to attack me after I saw what they were doing to the dead man lying on the ground."
In a slow deliberate movement, he crossed the room, seemingly unaffected by my comment. "My name is Syd. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Kylah."
More tears fell as I took his extended hand and spoke with a less than steady voice. "Hello."
I shifted my focus back to Dillon. "I saw something feed off of a person…that is not possible, Dillon. THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!"
Dillon pulled me into another embrace. "You are safe now, deirfiúr."
Adaira suddenly appeared in the room, but with everything else I’d seen tonight, that didn’t seem so odd.
"Obsydian, you are needed downstairs." Obsydian turned to give her a look, but her response was, "Now, Syd! We have a problem."
As Syd moved to follow Adaira, I moved out of Dillon’s arms and noticed the blood seeping through the sleeve of my top. I saw the bite marks covering my hands, and confirmed I had not been dreaming this time. I began to scream as reality set in…I lived this nightmare. I guess the truth was more than I could bear. One minute I was standing on shaky legs, and the next moment I was on the floor.
I slammed open the door of Keenan’s with fire in my eyes, sparks literally flaming as I attempted to control the anger I felt.
"WHERE IS HE?" The shocked expressions on a few of the patron’s faces were of little concern to me as Adaira tried to calm me with a look. "Your tricks do not work on me, Adaira, and you know it. Tell me where Dillon is, or I will tear the place apart."
She moved closer. "Lower your voice and calm your anger before your little temper tantrum causes bigger problems. I’ll go get Dillon, but not until you do as I ask, Aerric."
With a growl I complied, knowing that I might not be concerned with Adaira’s threats, but Morrigan’s wrath I wasn’t willing to gamble with. In a movement too quick for the bar patrons to discern, Adaira left the room, returning a moment later with Obsydian in tow.
"Adaira, we need to close the bar for the rest of the afternoon. Make the humans think it’s closing time. Aerric, you come with me."
Obsydian moved towards the back of the bar to give Adaira a chance to do what he asked. No one knew exactly what Adaira was, but she was capable of compelling others to do as she wished with a simple thought. The majority would do anything she wanted because of the way she looked: all legs, platinum blonde hair, and full, luscious lips that begged a male to do whatever she asked. I had known Adaira for decades now, and her ice blue eyes cut straight into your soul…if you had one.
I walked past a table of punk males who began to chatter about my abrupt tone with Adaira. It was charming that they believed they were the ones saving her. The immortals in the room all knew that she could annihilate this entire bar in less time than it took to set down a pint of ale. One of the males stood, believing he could foolishly assert himself. I glared and shoved past him. "Sit, boy, or you will regret your next move."
Adaira pushed past me as she used her gift to persuade the two males to leave. In that moment, I couldn’t help but catch a whiff of bergamot, the same scent from the female in the alley. I knew she was here now; I just needed to figure out why. I took the seat across from Syd and leaned in to make my point.
"You want to explain to me why I just had to ash Gavin?" Obsydian glared as he listened. "He was trying to grab a red-haired female who magically vanished the second he grabbed her. I tracked her here, now where is she? I think she has a little explaining to do."
Obsydian opened his mouth to explain, but when a blood-curdling scream pierced the air, I vanished toward the sound and caught the red-haired female just before her head hit the floor. Goddess, she was beautiful. The first moment I had laid eyes on her in the alley, I knew she was attractive. But now staring at her again, she seemed familiar somehow. I remained perplexed as to why Liam would have sent one of his commanders to track this female–this particular soul. I brushed back the flame red hair from her cheek and listened as her breathing began to slow. Her long dark lashes rested peacefully on her cheeks as she lay in my arms.
"Get away from her, Aerric." The look on Dillon’s face was more than enough to make most men retreat, but I stood and turned to face the man I had once called my friend.
"Why? What is this human to you? Actually, she must be something more than human if you’re getting all godlike on me." The look on his face was arrogant and belligerent as he crossed to the angel lying at my feet.
"How is it that she is here with you, when moments ago I was protecting her from one of Liam’s top henchmen?" Obsydian and two other males materialized into the room, ready to jump in if they were needed. Sarcasm coated my words as I intentionally antagonized the grandson of my makers. I knew Dillon well and he was never one to back away from a fight.
"What are you hiding, Dillon? Do your grandmothers know you are letting fledglings openly practice astral projection among the humans?" The low growl was all I needed to hear to confirm the answer.
"You can leave now, Aerric. That female is none of your concern."
"I have no intention of leaving until I can get some answers, and most importantly, not until I have talked to her again. If you won’t tell me who she is, then maybe she will."
The soft moan shifted my attention back to her and then the scent hit me again. This was not possible; I knew of only one female who smelled this way, but she had raven-colored hair, not flame red. Her voice echoed in my head; the familiar aroma of bergamot sent me over the edge of oblivion. This was not conceivable. She could not be alive, and yet this woman was so familiar. My need to protect her began to override my ability to think clearly as she roused next to me. When Dillon’s name left her lips, I shot a menacing glare at him. "Is this woman yours, Dillon? Why does she cry out for you in her weakened state?"
The room unexpectedly changed, and we were no longer in Keenan’s, but in Morrigan’s penthouse. Dillon, the female, Obsydian, Adaira, and the two guards were all bowing in the direction of Brighid and Morrigan.