Torment (Soul Savers Book 6) (41 page)

I paused to swallow,
and the audience took the opportunity to clap and cheer.

“
You
deserve the applause,” I said. “You’ve made it this
far. By working together, hopefully you’ll get through this
insanity and be able to restart the world.”

“As long as
you’re here, we can do anything,” someone in the back
yelled.

I sighed. “That’s
actually why I wanted to talk to you tonight. The people I came with,
we’re like the elite team of our kind. And we have a mission to
accomplish. Some will be staying to protect you, but I and a few
others will be leaving tomorrow afternoon. We’re hoping by
accomplishing our mission, we can free the people in those camps,
including the soldiers keeping them there. They’re not in their
right minds, but our mission will return them to normal. When that
happens, they’ll need you, but you’ll also need them.
They can protect you and train you. We plan to give you all a
fighting chance.”

Excited chatter waved
over the room. My sensitive ears caught whispers about family and
friends being held like prisoners in the camps. Tristan lifted his
hands to quiet them down.

“I just have to
ask you one thing,” I said. “There are others like us out
there. They’ve had to remain covert because of the lies humans
were told about us. Not all supernaturals are evil, though, as you
can see before your eyes right now. Our people are waiting for us to
accomplish our mission. When we do and when the time is right, we’ll
be calling them out to fight more overtly. We’re going to need
all the support and help we can get. We’ll train you. We’ll
help you. We’ll protect you. And eventually, we may need you to
help us fight the real monsters that are out there. I just ask that
you give
us
a chance.”

“We’re on
your side, A.K.,” somebody yelled, and the audience burst into
chants of “A.K.’s Angels! A.K’s Angels!”

Even the hunters in
attendance got caught up into the chant and shouts of support. James
and his besties were noticeably absent, though, probably on guard
outside. I wondered if they’d be a part of this now, or if
they’d be standing by the door, arms crossed over their chests,
smirking as they rolled their eyes. Then I decided I didn’t
care. He’d either learn eventually or he never would, but one
thing I knew for sure. Stupid people didn’t stand a chance
against the Daemoni.

We spent the rest of
the evening by candlelight with Dorian in his room that shared a
bathroom with ours. Since we hadn’t been able to sit down
together and officially tell him until now, we delivered the news
about the baby.

“Yeah, I heard,”
he said with a small smile. “That’s really awesome.”

“I’m so
glad you’re happy about it,” Tristan said.

“Why wouldn’t
I be?” he asked, and Tristan and I exchanged a look. We’d
been worried about Dorian’s reaction, hoping it wouldn’t
send him into one of his broody mood swings. Or worse, shove him
along the path to the Daemoni. “I’ve always wanted a baby
sister. And I know you’ve wanted her for a long time.”

I threw my arms around
him. “You’re going to be an amazing big brother.”

“I know.”
He beamed.

We talked for a while
about what it would mean to have a baby, and Dorian promised he’d
be the protective big brother and always look out for her.
Unavoidably, our conversation turned darker as we discussed what it
would be like to take care of a baby in this new world we lived in.
Dorian’s mood darkened along with it until he fell out of the
conversation completely.

Trying to bring him
back, we asked him to play cards with us, using a deck we’d
found in one of the desk drawers, but he didn’t get into the
game. Then we made up stories about the girls who’d lived in
the room before, looking at their photos and other belongings pinned
to bulletin boards or left out on the desks and dressers. Well,
Tristan and I did. Dorian just sat there, petting Sasha and scowling
at the zebra print comforter.

“I know one thing
for certain about them,” he finally said after Tristan and I
had spent an hour playing the game between the two of us. We both
stopped looking at a pile of pictures by the candle flame and turned
our attention to our son, glad to have him involved. His hazel eyes
cut over to us, and he said flatly, “They and all their friends
are dead.”

Tristan and I stared at
him in silence. What could we say to that? As much as I hoped he was
wrong and most Normans still lived, I knew the chances were slim.
Some had survived, yes. But not all. Any denial to Dorian’s
statement was probably an outright lie.

* * *

Sleep eluded me, as
usual, but not because of memories of Mom keeping me awake. Worries
of what the next day and night would bring had my brain whirring in a
hundred different directions. I was thankful when morning finally
came, and we could sit down with my team at the dining table in the
townhouse to make more solid plans.

Once we’d gone
over everything, Charlotte stood and braced her hands on the table,
leaning toward Tristan, Owen, Vanessa, and me. Her gaze traveled over
each of us, her lips pressed into a hard, thin line. Something
weighed heavily on her mind.

“What?” I
demanded.

Her words came out as
an order. “You have to
promise
to be back before
midnight.”

“What’s at
midnight?” I asked. After all, a deadline hadn’t been
discussed before. Was there some kind of curfew we hadn’t known
about? Who was even policing that, anyway?

Char pierced me with
her sapphire eyes, bringing all thoughts to a halt. “According
to the Normans who’ve been keeping track, today is Halloween.”

I immediately turned
toward Tristan, my mouth opening, but he held up his hand and shook
his head. For once, I didn’t ignore him. This wasn’t the
time to be celebrating his birthday.

“So …
what’s at midnight?” I asked again, turning back toward
Char. It’s not like we had to worry about partiers, crowds, or
drunk drivers.

“It’s when
the veil to the Otherworld is thinnest,” Blossom answered from
Char’s side. “And with those Satanic symbols you said
were everywhere …”

Vanessa’s hands
slapped the table, the force making me jump. “It won’t be
good, that’s for damn sure.”

Her tone and the
meaning of it all sent a chill down my spine. Noah’s chuckle
coming from upstairs brought on a full shiver. I’d known about
the theory that the veil was thinnest on Halloween night, but hadn’t
realized how seriously the Amadis took it. Blossom’s point—and
Char’s, too—was very valid.

“Should we wait
until tomorrow?” I asked. Not that I really wanted to, but the
situation was risky enough. Too many lives were on the line. Pretty
much the whole world’s future.

“If anything
happens with the veil, tomorrow may be too late,” Tristan said
grimly.

“Just make sure
you make it back before midnight,” Char said again. “Back
on sacred grounds, just in case Lucas does something even more
atrocious than he already has.”

Once we finalized our
plans, we spent the rest of our time eating, resting, and feeding the
vampires to ensure we all were powered up. I tried not to let this
extra threat about the veil get to me. After all, Lucas had lived
through hundreds of Halloweens and had never done anything outrageous
before, as far as I knew. Hopefully, this one wouldn’t be any
different. And if it was? We’d cross that bridge later tonight.
For now, we had to do what we could to minimize the consequences.

Carlie allowed us a
visit with Sheree, who was barely conscious, but alert enough to at
least say goodbye. I prayed we’d come back to find her healthy
and raring to go. Or roaring to go. That would be even better.

By afternoon, my
insides were even more of a wreck as nervous energy, anticipation to
finally accomplish our mission, and an overwhelming desire to stay
here with our son battled within me. As I approached Dorian’s
room to say goodbye, I overheard him talking to someone.

“I have a sister
coming, and I have to do everything I can to protect her,”
Dorian said. “And you have to protect her, too, Sasha. So
you’re going to go with Mom and Dad. And no matter what
anyone
commands you to do—I don’t care if it’s Mom, Dad,
or even me—you protect my parents and my baby sister. Okay? You
understand?”

I peeked around the
doorway to see Sasha’s blue tongue lick his cheek.

“Good. And if
anything ever happens and I can’t be your master anymore, my
sister will be. Okay?”

I smiled, enjoying the
little bit of happiness I could grasp on to in knowing that, although
he’d been so moody since he’d come back to us, his heart
remained big, soft, and warm. And that would keep him safe from the
Daemoni’s clutches. But then realization of what he’d
just done set in, making my stomach sink. I strode into his room and
sat on the floor next to him.

“Dorian,” I
said, “Sasha needs to stay here and protect you.”

He shook his head.
“I’ve given her orders, and she’s loyal to me
before anyone else.”

I swallowed and nodded.
At the moment, that was exactly the problem. “Right. So you
need to tell her to stay here with you. She can’t go with us.”

“No, Mom. You
need her more than I do. My sister needs her more.”

My throat closed, and
tears pricked at my eyes. I’d never been so proud of his
compassion and tormented with what it meant. I pulled him into an
embrace.

“Dad and I will
be fine,” I said. “Uncle Owen will keep us protected. We
need to know that Sasha is here, doing her job—protecting you.
That will help us focus on
our
job better so we can get back
as soon as possible.”

He returned my hug for
the first time in a long time and rested his head on my shoulder.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Mom. I promise I’ll
be fine. But I’m scared for you and Dad, and I’ll feel
better if Sasha is there to help you. I won’t change my mind,
and you can’t make me. It’s not like you can take my Xbox
or any other toys away from me.”

I frowned, and then let
out a growl. “You’re too smart for your own good.”

“But you’ll
always love me anyway, right?”

“Always,” I
said quickly and automatically. I gave him a hard squeeze, then
pulled back and braced my hands against his cheeks. I stared hard
into his hazel eyes, trying to reach his soul with my touch and my
words. “You never have to question that. No matter what,
Dorian, I’ll
always
love you.”

He nodded, his eyes
glistening and his mouth tilted up in a smile. “I love you,
too, Mom. Forever. And Dad, too.” He tentatively laid a hand on
my stomach. “And her, too. I promise to be the best big brother
I can be. What are we going to name her?”

“I don’t
know. Maybe we can discuss it tonight when we get back.” I
planted a kiss on his forehead before pulling both of us to our feet.
“We’ll see you soon, okay? We’ll be back here as
soon as we finish the mission.”

“I hope …”
He trailed off, and his face darkened. “I hope it’s all
worth it.”

“Me, too, Dorian.
Me, too.”

Tristan met us outside
the door, and they had a moment together, then Dorian, along with
several others, walked us outside. Hugs and pats on the back were
exchanged along with a bunch of “good lucks.”

“You guys be
safe,” Blossom said as we held each other in a tight hug.

“You, too,”
I said. “I expect when I come back that you’ll have
figured out how to make a cake without a working oven.”

“Oh, I’ve
been thinking about it. I’m sure I can figure out how to make
the oven work. It’s the ingredients that might be the problem.
Even if Tristan doesn’t want a birthday cake, we could all use
some yumminess, eh?”

“Yes, we can.”
I squeezed her one more time. “I love you, Blossom.”

“Love you, too,
girl. Now go kick some Daemoni ass and get yours back here in time.”

Before we turned for
the townhome across the street, I gave Dorian one last hug, not
caring if the public display of affection embarrassed him.

“Always,” I
whispered into his ear. “No matter what.”

“Always,”
he echoed, holding me tight and eventually letting go with a sigh.

Damn, I was going to
break down right here in front of everyone. I internally questioned
my decision to go on this mission. “Maybe I should stay here
with you.”

Dorian rolled his eyes.
“Mom, I’ll be fine. You gave Charlotte, Blossom, Jax,
Sonya, and Alys strict orders to watch me, right?”

He ticked them off his
fingers as he stated their names, and although the number seemed
excessive as he did so, I didn’t feel one iota of guilt about
it. If any other Amadis had been around, they’d have received
the same orders. Blossom slid an arm over Dorian’s shoulders,
and Sonya and Alys both stepped in front of him to guard him.

“Okay. I’ll
see you tonight.”

“Not if I see you
first,” he joked.

I forced a smile for
him, and then Tristan and I headed for the street and the townhomes
on the other side to where Owen, Vanessa, and Char waited.

“Go, Sasha, and
protect,” Dorian said from behind us, and I glanced over my
shoulder at them. Sasha started trotting after us.

“Go back to
Dorian, Sasha,” I said. “Protect
him
.”

She grew to the size of
a large Great Dane, but she didn’t return to her master. He’d
given her a command, and she’d listen to him over anyone else.
At least I’d tried.

We passed James and his
buds, all armed up, as we walked through the gate. They didn’t
wish us luck, offer up help like the other hunters had, or anything.
They stayed at attention—all of it on the townhome we
approached.

“I don’t
trust them,” Tristan said as he opened the front door for me.