Taken (3 page)

“Let me go,” he roared, reaching for my neck
with his only remaining hand
.
At
the same moment I w
rapped my arms around his waist and crushed him with a thousand years of strength.
His mouth was frozen in an open state
as his last gasp of air escaped.

“
You’re lucky I don’t have more time
;
otherwise I’d make
this far more painful,
”
I
snarled
, as his body slumped in my arms, releasing darkness into the hallway.

That was nice and easy.

I ran into the woman’s room. Her eyes were filled with fe
ar as she watched my every move.

“I’m Ana. You’re going to be okay,” I told her, walking toward her bed.

The room was bare and her bed was the only one filled.
Her blue eyes took me in, but she was
afraid
to speak.

“He won’t be coming back for you.” I whispered.
I only hoped the others wouldn’t either.

I untied the restraints that were gripping her wrists and ankles so tightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

I nodded at her and walked out of the room. I had to get out of here
.

I heard familiar steps coming up the stairs. I had been caught.
Shoot
!
I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about Athen’s protective nature.

I looked down the hallway until Athen finally came into view, and I sprinted toward him.

“You don’t follow your own rules very well,”
Athen whispered, his
eyes
narrowing on me. I
t was hard for him to keep the smile off his lips.

“I just had to check on something,” I whispered back. “And my suspicions were right.”

“I’m sure they were.
Cyril had to go in after Arie too.
”

“Great minds think alike.” I grinned at Athen.

“I want to come back tomorrow
…
See if we can get hired here, which means Arie and I need to do the
mortas
process tonight.
I stopped one of the possible turns, but I’m worried they’ll just be back later tonight for the woman.
”

“You can’t save everyone at once,” he whispered.
“If this is as serious as it sounds, we’re going to lose a few.”

“I know but seeing the fear in her eyes was —”

“We’ll get her
, but we
also have
stop t
he opening to the underworld
from
be
coming active if it hasn’t already
.” Athen w
rapped his arm around my
shoulders
and led
me up the stairs to the roof where Cyril and Arie were waiting.

The
breeze
had picked up
and Cyril was hugging Arie tightly.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Cyril’s voice
picked up in
the wind.

“That we do.” Athen replied
grimly
.

A slight rumbling
began to surface
under our feet
.
Arie’s gaze
connected with
mine and I shook my head in denial.

“You don’t think it
’s
the
…
” I stopped
once I saw
the horror that was in front of
us
.

The sky began fil
ling with tiny winged creatures.
Hundreds of them began screeching as their wings flapped violently toward us. Their eyes were red with hatred and hunger — the corpse eaters. Someone had summoned the J
ikininki
demons to the very place we were standing on top of.

“
Time to fly,” Athen whispered, squeezing my hand.

Taking a deep breath in, I
imagined leaving this building behind with my family by my side.
I felt my wings release as they
swept me into the wind, following Athen, Cyril, and Arie as the Jikininki descended on the building.

“They weren’t sent for us,
” Athen yelled as he landed on
the lot.

“No
,
they weren’t.” I landed next to him and watched as one tiny creature after the
other
proceeded to cover the hospital.

My wings
retracted
,
and
Athen
brought
me close to him as we watched a spectacle
unfold
that we could do nothing about
— a
t least not tonight.

“I think the gates have been opened,” Arie
murmured, her voice trembling
.

“Well, it’s our
job
to close them back up,” I said
,
barely able to speak.
I looked into Athen’s eyes
,
and they were full of darkness.
“I know we can’t do anything tonight, but we’ve got to get involved tomorrow once we’re ready.”

Athen glanced at Arie and then back at the building.

“We’ve got this,” I whispered reassuringly.

He shook his head and looked into my eyes. “I don’t know
that I want you to fight this
,
or t
hat we should fight this.”

“We c
an’t let this go,” I protested as the small assault continued in front of us.
“This
is what we do. This is why we’
re
white
demons. It’s our duty to stop the dark demons as often as we can.”

“These
openings
happen every so often
,
and they close themselves back up,” he replied.

“A
fter they’ve ruined many souls,” I whispered. “
I can’t believe you’re talking like this. We
’ve
never turn
ed
the other way.”

Athen looked over at Cyril while he thought about what to say.
There w
as something else bothering him and Cyril.

“Let’s get out of here,” Athen replied, walking over to the car.

I followed him gladly, knowing there wasn’t anything we could do standing here. We needed to get home and start the
mortas
process.

Cyril was the last to close the car door as he took one last glance behind
us
at the building.

“I’m with Athen.
This seems l
ike a set up,” Cyril said
, finally
closing the door.

“
You
,
yourself
,
said you thought one of
us
was the target,” Athen replied, glancing at me in the rearview.

“But if we stop them before the
y get to us then problem solved,
” I said attempting to smile. “We have to fight
for their souls
.
Mortals
aren’t allowed second chances
on earth
. We are.”

“That’s not a chance I want to take with any of us,” Athen’s voice was low.

“I couldn’t live with myself if I stood by and let this happen right in front of us,” I
replied.

“I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because you walked into a trap,” Athen countered.

“Not gonna happen
.
And yes you could. But that’s not even going to happen. None of us are going to fall into a trap.”

“Never say never,” Arie whispered.

“You’re on their side too?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t remember you ever encountering a vision like this before where some of the specifics are blurred. I’m not sure—”

“I know we can solve this. Please just trust me and give the mortals a chance
of escaping
.”

Arie’s lips stretched into a thin line unable to think of anything else to say.

“So what was up with
whoever was sent after you guys?” I asked, attempting to change the subject slightly.

“Those were just n
ew
born
dark
demons snooping around. Nothing much,” Cyril laughed. “Took mine out in under a minute.”

“Me too,” Athen seconded. “They
really sent fresh ones.”

“We’ll have to
find
out who’s sending them.” Arie glanced at me.

“Indeed,” I whispered.

C
hapter 3

Athen snuck up behind me
in our bedroom
and slowly moved my hair to the side, exposing the base of my neck. His hand lightly touched my flesh, sending chills down my spine.
I wanted to change before we began the
mortas
process, and now I didn’t even care.

“Are you sure about this?” he whispered. I knew if I turned to face him, my answer would be no.
But this wasn’
t just about me, about us.
It was about the mortals.

I nodded my head
,
and he gently kissed the base of my neck,
his lips
slowly reaching my shoulders.

“You make it so difficult to stay in control,” Athen said in a low voice.
“I can never get enough of you. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.”

“You won’t lose me,” I replied quietly, feeling his lips connect with my skin once more.
“
Our kind of love can never be lost or forgotten
. There’s always a way to reconnect.”

A lump formed in my throat, and I wasn’t even sure why.

“That’s not something I want to try out, my angel,” he murmured.

“I don’t either, but at least we have the option. The mortals don’t. Once they are taken from their families, it’s over for them.”

“You always fight for what’s right. I hope I can be that selfless some day.”

“Very funny. You aren’t so shabby yourself in that area.” I laughed. “Think about what you risked a few years ago.”

“
Let’s not go there.” He sighed, turning me around t
o face him. His eyes penetrated
every part of me in a way that only he could.
It was hard to stay focused with him running his fingers up and down my arm.
Oh, he’s got to knock this off or I’ll never want to leave this room.

“You know what we’ve never tried while you
were
a mortal?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“I think I can guess.” I
giggled
,
allowing myself to be absorbed into his brilliant
green eyes.

“Well, maybe if we have time after the process,” his voice trailed off.

“You got it.” I smiled and felt the strength
of
his
grasp
holding me tightly.

“Ready, guys?” Arie’s voice interrupted our blissful moment.
She was standing in the hall, arms crossed, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your timing is always quite
impressive
,” I joked.

“Yeah, it is,” Athen seconded, letting his arms fall from my waist.

“I don’t
know what you’re talking about.
” Arie rolled her eyes and ushered us down the hall. “The sooner we get this over with the better. Cyril’s a nervous wreck.”

“That makes two of us,” Athen replied.

I looked across the living room at Arie. She looked more nervous than
Cyril,
and I began second-
guessing my
decision. But I couldn’t go into the hospital
alone as a mortal. I needed her.

“Ready?” I asked,
attempting to hide the tremble
my words wanted to expose.

“As I’ll ever be.” She glanced at Cyril and her brother and walked toward the couch. I took the other one.
Matilda was sleeping in front of
the fire and for a split second
I thought how peaceful it must be to live
Matilda’s
life.

The most difficult aspect of this process was adjusting to the lack of senses the mortal form offered. We were so used to hearing the inaudible, seeing the unseen, and sensing the forces that couldn’t be sensed that this form really put us at a disadvantage.
It almost felt like we were functioning in the dark
as a mortal
, b
ut it gave us the anonymity that we needed
. We had
to find the entrance to the underworld
,
and that couldn’t be
completed
in our
white demon
form
. The dark demons would sniff us out in a heartbeat.

As I kept still on the couch with my legs fully extended, I let out a sigh that
exposed more than I intended.

“Here’s to a seamless transition,” Athen’s words
almost
caught in his throat.

I glanced at him before I closed my eyes, and he came by my side, grabbing my hand.

“Let the wicked forsake their own kind as we transcend our souls to another form.
Let the immortal world protect
our mortal persona
as we seek the answers
to end the cruelties of the underworld.” I squeezed Athen’s hand and hear
d
Arie take a deep breath in. It was time.

As my mind began the
mortas
process
, my body quickly followed.
The
popping and
crackling sounds from the fireplace became muted. The snores from Matilda were
muffled and the awareness of my own body turned to an abstract
concept. My fl
esh no longer tingled with the slightest movement
.
I was slipping into the mortal shell of myself.
My left hand rested on the couch, and it felt as if cotton wrapped every finger. I felt like a mummy in this shell of a being.
The strong
heartbeat
that I was used to slowed
to its weakened
,
mortal state
.

My body stiffened
, but I
felt no pain — only numbness. A pulsing in my ears began making my head spin as
I lay as
still as possible on the couch. B
ut
even with no movement,
I felt as if I was riding on a boat in the middle of
rough seas. Attempting to squeeze Athen’s hands, I recognized just how weak — how slow— I’d become.

“You’re doing wonderful, angel,” Athen murmured
. I
felt him leaning
over me, and I wanted to see him.

Opening my eyes, the world was not my own.
The sharpness was gone—the brightness dulled
through the eyes of a mortal
.

Athen’s eyes were
the
brilliant, green that
mine no longer
were
, as he took me in
. His lip
turned
up slightly as he traced his finger softly along my arm.

“How do you feel?” he asked softly.

“Absolutely ordinary,” I replied, blowing a few strands of hair off my face.

“You’ve never been
very good at being ordinary,” h
e laughed
,
as he helped me to sit up on the couch.

“I already miss your green eyes.”

“I miss a lot more than that.” I touched my forehead hoping to become grounded
. “How’s Arie?”

“She’s still out.”

I wanted to stand, but I wasn’t sure I was steady enough for that yet.

“This world is certainly missing a certain something from this
perspective.
I don’t think I’d be very good at being a mortal
long term
.”
I pulled Athen’s hand toward me while I attempted to steady myself as I stood.
“I bet I wouldn’t even last a year as one.”

Arie looked as still as could be
on the couch across from us
. Her breathing quiet and steady
, but
I could detect no other movement
.
Cyril was sitting on the floor
next to the couch, holding her hand.
Cyril glanced over at me.

“You look great, Ana,” Cyril replied.

I smiled at him and glanced once more at Arie.

“You always sn
ap out of everything so quickly,
”
Cyril muttered, shaking his head.

“That she does,” Athen s
aid, pride
filled
his voice.

“She’s going to be just fine.” I winked at Cyril and felt Athen b
egin to lead me out of the room, but Arie’s voice stopped me.

“Cy?” Arie mumbled.

“I’m right here, babe,” he replied.

I looked
over at
Arie;
her eyes
lacked
the green sparkle that I was used to.
The process was complete.

“Everything is so fuzzy in this state,” she
mused
.

“Isn’t it though?” I sna
ked my arm around Athen’s waist as I watched Arie sit up slowly.

Matilda hopped up on the couch next to Arie and started whining and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Timing was everything.

“Really?
You need a walk this second?
”
Cyril laughed.

“
I’ll come with you,” Arie offered.

“Are you up for it?” Cyril
and I
asked
in unison
.

“I think so. Besides it’s a bulldog, not a black lab. I think I can keep up.” Arie’s laughter filled the living room and Matilda began barking.

With the click o
f the front door closing, Athen’s eyes flew to meet mine.

“What?” And before I had a chance to object he scooped me up into his arms.

“Wher
e are you taking me?”
I giggled
tapping
him lightly.

“You
need to rest,” he
whisper
ed
in my ear.

“Is that so?” I asked
,
feeling more energetic
with every step he took toward the bedroom.

Athen
took in my expression as he placed me
slowly
on the bed.
The comforter wrapped
its
elf around me as my body quivered with his gentle touch.
His
hands
slowly
followed
my shirt’s edge
as he teased me with his eyes
,
and I realized many sensations might be muted as a mortal, but this
was
n’
t one of them.
I started giggling and he sat back intrigued.

“Something strike you as funny?” His eyes danced
with the familiar glow
I
loved.

“Mmm.” I placed my finger to his lips n
ot wanting him to stop what he had started
.

He
hovered
over me
as his
eyes
burned into me.
“I love you
with everything I have
,” Athen whispered
,
desire
edg
ed
his words.
My
hands
trembled
with
anticipation as I ran my fingers through his golden hair, bringing him toward me.
The desperation I felt to be kissed and touched by him grew with every second that passed.

“I feel the same
,” I whispered, tracing his lips with my finger.

“You have to promise me that if you become in danger, you’ll leave
immediately
.” Athen brought his lips down to my neck and began slowly kissing my skin.
“No matter what you find.”

“
I won’t do anything to jeopardize this,” I murmured, feeli
ng the sensations roll through m
y body,
as his hands ran up my arms.

Athen pushed my shirt up
making my skin tingle with anticipation as the air hit my flesh
.
These emotions were so pure it didn’t matter what world I was in. We would always be one in this world or the next — this reality or the other.
As
Athen’s mouth traveled down my body, I felt everything
as if I were still in my white demon form
.

“You fit me so wonderful
ly
,” Athen whi
spered.
I let
myself fall into the fantasy of the moment and
forgot
the
hurdles
of the future
as I curled into him.