Destiny's Revenge (Destiny Series - Book 2) (18 page)

Wanda crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, “This is bullshit. What have you people been smoking anyway? I’m outta here.”

I took a step in Wanda’s direction. “You can’t leave. I’m not saying you have to believe me, but there’s more. Just hear me out. When I’m done, if you still think I’m full of crap, I promise no one will try to stop you.”

“The Beast uses these demons that are able to possess humans. One tried to possess me after I woke up at the nursing home, so all I can tell you is it hurts like hell, like a giant bolt of lightning is trying to enter your head. If you feel something like that, you can fight it off. Don’t let it in. Don’t surrender to the pain. Max, his grandfather and his cousin were all attacked by demons last week.”

Seth, the most vocal so far, asked, “Is that why he isn’t here?”

I shook my head, “No, I don’t know where Max is. I left a voice message for him to come here, but he hasn’t called back. After Peanut and I escaped from Joe’s house that day, the demons let all three of them go. I stopped back by the house to get something when I thought it was safe. I was wrong. One took control of Joe in a matter of seconds.”

Seth looked around to all the doubters in the room, making a plea on my behalf, “I don’t care if you believe her or not, you can all choose to think she came out of her coma damaged if you want to. If I had heard all this two hours ago, I would probably feel the same way that you do. I can tell you, I do not have delusions, and I have no reason in the world to lie to any of you. This Samael, or Beast, or whatever he is, isn’t human, but he’s definitely real. Amanda and I were both really lucky tonight to escape with our lives, so I’m only going to say this once.” Seth looked at me, “I know you’re telling the truth, I know it’s real, I don’t need any more convincing. Just tell me what to do so I don’t ever have to experience that again.”

Rewsna cleared her throat. “I’m afraid the answer to your question is not an easy one. He is angry with Lauren, and knows he is not strong enough to attack her alone. In addition, our whole Council is with her to provide additional protection. We are too strong for him to attack her while she is in our care. The only way he can get to Lauren is through each of you. I assume you all know she loves all of you deeply. While she was captive, the Beast was able to see your bond with her first hand. He knows the easiest way to hurt her, to get her away from the Council’s protection is to attack one of you. That is why we have asked you all here tonight. While we come up with a plan to destroy the Beast, we need for all of you to be safe.” She stopped addressing all of my family and friends and turned her attention back to me, “Lauren, you need to tell us where Max is. Find him so we can go get him and bring him back here. We need to find him before the Beast does.”

Seth immediately spoke up, “She can’t go find him, that thing is out there somewhere. I can go look for Max.” Seth’s tone softened a bit when he continued, “He tried to warn me about all this last week and I didn’t believe him. I told him the best thing he could do was to stay away from Lauren.” He gave me an apologetic look, “I really had no idea, Lauren. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe him.”

“Seth, it’s okay, I didn’t include any of you because this is all so unbelievable. But don’t worry, I don’t have to go anywhere to find Max. I can find him. I just need a few minutes to myself.” I stepped into the bedroom, and Peanut automatically stood up and followed me.

I lay on the bed while my four-legged sidekick stretched out right beside me. I got the impression Peanut thought it was his responsibility to protect my body while I was absent from it. I patted him lightly, then closed my eyes and thought of Max, concentrating on his image, the feel of his skin, his scent. The familiar tunnel appeared, and I anxiously stepped in.

I didn’t see Max, but I could sense his presence. I knew he was close but saw and heard nothing. The room I had stepped into was pitch black. I knew calling out to him was useless. Looking to my left and right, I could see nothing, not objects or shadows, no light of any kind. I could hear heavy footsteps echoing off a wooden floor, but they didn’t sound close, and I couldn’t see the source of the noise.

The blackness felt as though it were a sensory deprivation chamber. I could feel I was with Max even though my five senses provided no proof. I felt around this cavernous room. There was no furniture, no windows, and although not possible, there didn’t seem to be a door anywhere. The walls were cool to the touch and rough like cinder block; the floor was cool and felt like concrete. I crouched down with both hands on the floor where I believed the middle of the room to be. Max was near, I knew it, but I couldn’t see or feel him.

My ears listened for the far off sound of footsteps again but there was only silence. The coolness of the room felt damp. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was in a basement or a bomb shelter long forgotten. But neither of these choices were possible: the water table in the Low Country, even in a draught, was far too high. No one in this area of the country could have an underground structure.

I needed Rewsna’s help, but she couldn’t help me while I was here. I stepped back through the tunnel and back into my awaiting body. I looked up to see Seth sitting on the edge of the bed. Seth was silent, waiting for my return, and I could only assume Rewsna had explained to him what I was doing and her rudimentary understanding of how it worked.

Seth saw that I was coherent again and asked, “That was quick. Where is he?” There was not an ounce of doubt in Seth. He took this strange gift at face value and didn’t question its authenticity like I had expected. Up until this evening, Seth had discounted anything not scientifically proven. I guess watching a man turn into a wolf in your living room gives you a whole new perspective on possibilities.

I shook my head, “I don’t know, I didn’t exactly see him this time. I need to talk to Rewsna. Excuse me for a minute.” I rolled to the side, Seth reaching out to grasp my arm in mid roll.

“Lauren, I wish you could have told me.” It looked like he was at a loss for words, as if he were struggling with a burning question, or a sincere apology, I couldn’t tell which. I didn’t feel like playing twenty questions, and he didn’t have anything to be sorry for. It had been my choice from the very beginning not to include Seth on any of my new found skills, the dreams I had about Max years before I met him, or anything else. That choice kept Seth, I would like to think, sheltered from all of the rest of the chaos going on. I didn’t regret not sharing all this with him, and I could only hope he understood it was more than any best friend should be expected to handle.

“Seth, there was never a reason to tell you. You’ve always been there when I needed you most. I’m just glad nothing bad happened to you tonight. I need to speak with Rewsna.” I tried to get up off of the bed, but his hand still anchored my arm.

I looked at his hand, trying to make it obvious that he needed to let go, when he said, “Tell me what I can do.”

I gave him a half grin, “You have to let go of me so I can talk to Rewsna about what I saw.” I should have remembered how possessive and dense he could be at the same time.

Rewsna stepped through the door, her clairvoyance always coupled with remarkable timing. “Show me what you saw, Lauren.” I did as she asked and after the last image of touching the floor replayed, her eyes opened and she looked at me strangely. “You don’t have any idea where he is?”

I shrugged my shoulders and could only say, “I know he was there. I couldn’t see, hear, feel or touch him, but I know he was right there. But
there
is as non-descript as a cold, dark room.”

She leaned against the wall. Tonight was the first time I had ever seen her look exhausted. I could see Melissa looking at us through the crack in the door. I hadn’t talked to her since before my bear attack. I didn’t have a clue what to say to her. We had been relatively close while I was in college, but it had been nearly three years since I had a real conversation with her. She caught my eye and held it longer than was comfortable, and I knew she had something to say. Rewsna looked as though she would pass out at any moment, and Seth was exhilarated with his new found appreciation of the unknown. Now would be the best time to excuse myself.

I stepped through the door and made my way to Melissa. She had a welcoming smile as I approached, and some of my apprehension began to evaporate. She had been standing right next to Wanda, and I noticed as I approached, Wanda fanned out away from Melissa. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have been hurt, or at a minimum offended, but given everything that had transpired tonight, I couldn’t blame her.

“Hi, Melissa, how’ve you been?”

“Really? You’re going to walk up and start talking to me like nothing completely bizarre is going on?”

“Okay, would it have been better for me to open with, ‘Gosh I sure am glad you weren’t attacked by a man that can turn into an animal, that happens to hang out with demons.’ I forgot how you like the direct approach.”

She laughed with me; whatever tension might have been between us melted away. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, looking at whatever message had just arrived. Pangs of fear showed on her face as she read it. She went to her knees and put a hand on the floor to steady herself. I watched closely, wondering what message could have elicited this kind of a reaction.

Melissa began to hyperventilate. She held the phone out for me to read the message. “Your family is dead. You can thank Lauren for allowing it to happen. Your friend, Samael.”

Gasps echoed throughout the room as everyone received similar messages. I tried to calm everyone down, but hysteria broke out as my close knit group divided and nearly trampled each other to get to their cars. There was nothing that I could do to stop them. I asked the Council members to divide up and go with each person, Rewsna herself went with my parents to check on my brother Steve and his family.

Mike and Peanut stayed with me. The house that had only minutes ago felt as if it would bust at the seams was now nearly empty. Mike and I sat down on the couch, neither wanting to believe what had just happened. How could Samael have gotten to everyone’s family so quickly? Hadn’t he been wounded just hours before?

We sat in silence as if not wanting to talk about the myriad text messages, fearing a discussion would somehow make them real. There were too many. He couldn’t have possibly killed everyone’s families. It couldn’t be done in one night, not in so many locations. Everything I knew about the Cabinet told me that they couldn’t kill. They could only influence. The demons that did Samael’s bidding hadn’t killed anyone, they could only possess people. It would have been physically impossible for the text messages to be legitimate. It had to be a ruse, didn’t it?

Peanut, who had been quiet for over an hour, without any warning jumped up to the window and began barking. I stepped behind him to see what had caught his attention. Near the top of the driveway, Max stepped through the fence. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Without hesitation I was out of the living room, through the kitchen, off the porch and running to him - closing the gap between us in seconds. He looked terrible, haggard as if his body hadn’t seen rest in weeks. I wrapped myself around him tight in an embrace, my hands trembling. I was speechless, unable to say anything, I could only hold him tighter.

Max was also at a loss. His hand stroked my hair as he looked at me; it felt like so many nights before when we had wordless conversations. I began to feel as if maybe everything
would
be okay. I had missed him so desperately, my heart ached for him, and my body reacted like a magnet to his. I needed to know where he had been and what had happened, but in this moment I didn’t have the strength to ask, and I was sure I didn’t have the stamina to hear what he had been through.

I felt the heat from his body, knew he was alive, that he was back in my arms, this time forever. Max gripped me tightly as I started walking him toward the house. His strides were stiff; I could see blood oozing from his shoulder and his leg. I walked at his pace, not pressing him to go faster while trying to help support his weight.

My mind whirled into action. I realized I didn’t have alcohol, peroxide, gauze or even a band aid in the house. I yelled with all the volume I could produce, “Mike!” I waited a few seconds and could see him standing at the door, “Mike, come here and help me get Max inside.”

Having Max right here drowned out the hopeless feeling I had felt from the text messages. All my senses were going haywire. I could feel danger all around me. I wondered when this sense would finally go into sensory overload, and I truly, from the bottom of my heart, didn’t care that there was danger enveloping me because Max was okay. I don’t know how he got here. From the looks of him, getting to me out here in the middle of nowhere may have nearly killed him.

Mike stepped off the porch in no hurry to give aid. He had a strange look on his face, somewhere between pain and anger. My heart sank. Something must have happened to Mike when I left him in the house. Had one of Samael’s demons taken possession of him? Max had to have felt my body tense, or maybe he had developed a danger sense of his own, because his forward motion halted. Max and Mike watched each other as if sizing up an opponent in a match about to begin.

I looked at all available escape routes. My van was only twenty feet away. I knew if it were just me, I could make it easily, but getting Max that distance and into the van before Mike could intercept us seemed unlikely. I saw my gun in Mike’s right hand and heard, “Lauren, step away from him. It’s not what you think.” Mike was raising the Glock, and I knew I didn’t have time to find another way out.

I grabbed Max hard, pushing him toward the van, shielding his body with mine. I heard a shot, but it was nowhere close. Whatever was possessing Mike shouldn’t be able to. He was on the Council - they were supposed to be immune to demon attacks. Whatever had Mike was significantly more powerful than the demons that had possessed Max and his family. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get Max as far away from this place as possible.