New World Order (War of the Fae: Book 4) (31 page)

“Fine.
 
Just this one time.
 
Tell me what to do.”
 
I felt like I was escaping the bed of one demon to get into the bed of another.
 
My sense of morality was taking a hell of a beating today.

“You need to pull in Earth and Water.
 
I will bring Fire and Wind.
 
Channel through your hands, not your eyes.
 
Keep your eyes clear.
 
Don’t lose your concentration.”
 
He took four long strides into the room, so he was standing at the bottom of the stairs but off to the side a little.
 
“Look at me.
 
Focus on my eyes.
 
Do it now!”

I looked at him as he commanded but couldn’t keep my eyes there.
 
I kept glancing back at the demon who was advancing, step by step, towards me.
 
I took two steps back, but if I went any farther, I’d no longer be able to see Ben.

Ben’s very worried, angry, and admittedly beautiful face, that was starting to glow with the red fire rising up from behind him, never turned away from me.

Wind blew through the house, entering the front door left open by Chase – my daemon who was now also on the stairs, staying a few paces back from the demon.

“Chase, on my count,” said Ben, his face showing a fierce concentration.
 

I had no idea what they were going to do, but I decided not to worry about it.
 
If we couldn’t kill this thing with the combined force of all four elements, I was just going to have to resign myself to losing my virginity to a blind, murdering demon and giving birth to its spawn or committing suicide by going into my element and never coming out.
 
I’m pretty sure I could figure out how to disappear like that, too.
 
The temptation was always there, actually, hanging around in the dark recesses of my mind whenever I touched my elements.
 
Ironically, my mom’s standard, go-to threat echoed across my brain as I considered the demon-baby option – “Someday, you’re going to have a child just like you.
 
Then you’ll see what it’s like to be your mother.”

I pushed those thoughts away for another day because my mother’s painful last moments on earth and needless death were too fresh in my mind.
 
I looked at Ben’s face.
 
He was still staring at me intently.
 

“You can do this, Jayne.
 
Just focus.
 
Feel your elements.
 
Command them.
 
They belong to you, not the other way around.”

I reached out farther and farther.
 
I called not only to the living things with their roots buried in the soil, I called also to the souls of those who inhabited this planet, who fed from and lived on and died within its bounty.
 
Millions upon millions of these sparks of energy filled my body, and I struggled with everything I had to push it all through myself and into my hands.

The green glow at my fingertips increased a hundred-fold, completely engulfing the stairs and front hall and foyer in its brilliance.

“That’s it, Jayne!” yelled Ben encouragingly.
 
“Now Water!
 
Pull it in!
 
Take it!”

I reached out for Water.
 
It was in the air around me ... in the Earth that was communing with my spirit.
 
It came from the heavens above us.
 
It even came from the tears that were now coursing down my face in response to all this majesty.
 

A brilliant blue light surged out of my body.
 
I reined it in, forcing it into my hands to join with The Green.
 
The swirling chaos of green, and blue, then turquoise completely blocked my view of the demon.

“Not your eyes, Jayne, be careful!” yelled Ben.
 
“You can do this.
 
You control it; it does not control you!”

Not the eyes, not the eyes, not the eyes,
I chanted to myself.
 
Please do not let me screw this up
.
 
My vision cleared a bit and I was once again able to see Ben.

“Good!
 
Now.
 
On my command, we hit him with it.
 
Ready?!”

“No!” I yelled in a panicked voice, “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
 
I was going to fuck this up, I just knew it.
 
Utter humiliation.
 
An elemental who was a slave to her elements.

“I know you can do this, Jayne.
 
You
have to know it too.
 
Have confidence.
 
You are the Mother.
 
These Elements are
of
you.
 
Now when I say so, give it all to the demon.”

I needed to clarify, since I wasn’t sure what ‘giving it’ to the demon meant exactly. “Do you want me to blast him with it?”
 

“Yes!
 
Exactly!”

The demon had other ideas, apparently not okay with being blasted.
 
I could hear his pounding footsteps as he raced up the remaining stairs, energized by blind rage – literally.
 

“Now!” yelled Ben.

I saw the demon claws reaching for me through a kaleidoscope of colors that not only had blues and greens, but now also reds and violets, courtesy of Ben’s elements joining with mine.
 

I physically slammed the balls of energy stored in my hands into the chest of the demon, who had by this time reached out and grabbed onto one of my arms.

Time seemed to stand still for a split second as the room exploded with colors.
 
The sound was immediately snuffed out and I felt as if I’d suddenly been struck deaf.
 

The demon began falling backwards down the stairs again, only this time, he was taking me with him.
 

I had no more energy gathered into me.
 
I was bare of it, slowly falling to what was probably going to be my death by broken neck.
 
My other hand scrambled to pull Blackie from its sheath, and in the moments before I went completely airborne, I managed to swing it over and stab the creature’s arm with it.
 
I instantly caught a whiff of burning demon flesh and felt its claws release me as I tumbled downward.
 

Too late.
 
It was too late.

I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see what my death looked like.
 
There wasn’t enough time to curl up in a ball or otherwise protect myself from injury, so I did nothing, just sailed through the air as if in slow motion.

I waited for the painful impact to come, but for some reason it didn’t.
 
I found myself landing in the arms of someone very strong.
 
I could feel his muscles bulge beneath me as the force of my weight hit.
 
Was it Ben?
 
I kept my eyes squinched up because I didn’t have any idea what had happened and my mind was telling me maybe I didn’t want to know.
 
But then I caught the scent of something other than demon stink, and I realized where I was.
 

I opened my eyes to see the face of my heroic daemon above me.
 
He had caught me as I had been about to hit the floor, fifteen feet below my spot on the stairs where the demon had grabbed me.
 
I looked down at the spot where I should have landed and saw the body of the demon there in a heap.
 
He was pretty dead-looking and in a very grotesque way.
 
Both of his eyes were blinded, black blood congealed not only in the sockets but also down the front and sides of his face.
 
Broken arrow shafts protruded randomly from various parts of his body.
 
He was one not-so-hot mess.

Chase walked over towards Ben, and gently put me down next to the only other elemental in the world I knew of.
 
I wasted no time in grabbing Chase into a very strong hug, so glad to be alive and so amazed that he had arrived just in time to save my sorry ass.
 
I knew Ben deserved a lot of credit too, but I wasn’t ready to give it to him yet.
 
Part of me felt like blaming him for this shitfest.
 
Something he said a few minutes ago nagged at my brain.

I let Chase go and turned to Ben.
 
“Thanks.
 
For helping.”

“You are most welcome,” he said, bowing a bit at the waist.
 
“I’m glad I got here ... in time.”

“In time before I was raped, right?”

He cleared his throat.
 
“A-
hem
.
 
Yes.
 
Exactly.”
 
He looked up at the ceiling.

I looked at him through narrowed eyes but was stopped from verbalizing my next thought by the arrival of the others.
 

Tony, Céline, Finn and the twins appeared from around the corner, coming towards us hesitantly, glancing from the mess on the floor to me and back again.
 
My release of The Green had apparently dropped the shield around them too.
 
Tony stopped next to me, looking over at Ben and nodding his head in acknowledgment.

“So how long have you known about this threat against me?” I asked Ben.

Ben sighed.
 
“Can we discuss this another time?”

“No.
 
I don’t see why I should wait.
 
Now’s as good a time as any.”

Ben looked at Tony, so I did too.
 
I silently begged him to support me on this.

Tony said, “I’d like to hear your answer too, Ben.
 
And thank you, by the way, for saving my best friend.
 
I owe you one.”
 
He looked at me sternly.
 
“She owes you one too.”

“Hey!” I said, “Don’t be handing out I.O.U.s on my account.
 
I decide whether I owe someone something or not.
 
And I want an answer to my question before I can do that particular accounting.”
 
I turned and glared at Ben.
 
“So fess up.
 
How long did you know?”

I glanced over at the twins and saw that they were nearly salivating over Ben.
 
I had to admit, as mad as I was at him, I could see the reason for the attraction.
 
It didn’t change how I felt though – wary and untrusting.

“I have suspected for about a year or maybe a bit longer, that you might be a person of interest for some in the Underworld.”

“Why, because you hang out there on weekends?”

“No,” said Ben in a bratty, mimicking voice, “not because I hang out there on weekends.
 
It’s not like that.”

“Well, what is it like, Ben?
 
I’m so curious,” I said with saccharine sweetness.

Ben exhaled strongly.
 
“Listen, I’m not here to fight with you.
 
I’m here to protect you.
 
I’d think you’d be a little more appreciative.”

“I am appreciative.
 
But something tells me you have your own motivations for wanting to help me, so forgive me for not falling at your feet in adoration.”

“A simple thank you would have been fine,” he said, his mouth quirking up a little.

“Thank you.
 
You can go now.”

“Jayne!” said Tony, disapproval coloring his voice, “He just saved your life!
 
All of our lives.
 
Cut the guy a break.
 
Please.”

“He’s hiding something, Tony!
 
You know he is.
 
Stop taking his side.”

“I’m not taking sides, Jayne.
 
I’m glad he’s here, though.
 
He saved you from ... well ... you know.”

“Ugh.
 
Don’t remind me.”

“Demon sex,” said Theresa, raising one of her eyebrows suggestively.
 
“Sounds kinky.”

Felicia nudged her with her elbow, but she was smiling.

“Check the libido, Theresa, before you make me vomit all over your shoes.”

Theresa winked at me but didn’t say anything else.
 
I decided then and there I had to introduce her to Spike – her
and
Felicia.
 
Maybe they could keep each other busy for a while back at the compound.
 
And I had to admit – I was glad to be able to go back to the compound.
 
Without Ben, I’m not sure that would be happening right now.

I sighed heavily.
 
“Ben.
 
Thanks.
 
That’s all I’m going to say for now.
 
I want to bury my mom and go home.
 
It’s been a long friggin’ day.”