I stood for a moment. He hadn’t even asked if I’d follow him, but if he could heal some of the damage to my hand it was worth swallowing any pride I had left. My head was going numb from the poisoned demon claws, and I couldn’t actually feel my arm, which, when I saw it, was probably a good thing.
Behind the tapestry was a large room with several more doors. The one in the center was open so I assumed that was where he’d gone.
On the other side of the archway was a big surprise. A large kitchen with herbs on shelves, a sink, and several gas burners. It could have been a kitchen back home.
Arath had a large mortar and pestle and was throwing herbs from the various containers into it and smashing them to bits.
“Put down the weapon. I will not harm you.” He concentrated on his mixture.
I tried to open my hand to drop the weapon but it wouldn’t work. “I can’t.”
He poured some liquid into a blue glass bottle and added the herbs. After shaking the concoction, he set it on the counter.
“Come here.” He met me at the sink. It was carved out of the same stone as the countertop and had the look of granite. Using the spray from the water he washed some of the blood off my arm. His hand rested on my shoulder and a heat spread down to my wrist.
“Yikes.” I growled as the feeling returned to my extremity. “I mean thanks.” I said the words through clenched teeth.
“The pain will pass. You’ve sustained a great deal of damage from the poison.”
When my hand finally relaxed, the ax clattered against the stone. It stung like crazy, as if tiny fire ants were chewing their way out of my skin. I bit the inside of my lip to keep from screaming.
“It would not shame you to cry.” He moved his glowing touch down to my hand. It still burned, but it wasn’t as bad.
“I don’t cry.” I closed my eyes and tried to will the pain away. Guardians never showed weakness. We didn’t cry, especially when we were in pain. It was a state of mind. If I made myself believe it didn’t hurt, the pain would stop.
His tender hands moved over the skin of my wrist and thankfully the burning became a light tingle. I opened one eye to see what had happened, surprised to see the skin healing.
“Jeez, you’re powerful.”
“We are not done. Your skin lacks color. You must sit.”
I did feel woozy. He lifted me with one hand around my waist and put me on the counter. “The poison is attacking your nervous system. Guardians are made stronger than humans; otherwise, you would be dead.” He handed me the bottle. “Drink this.”
Dead?
I didn’t feel so great, but dead? I lifted the bottle to my mouth. It didn’t smell much better than the rotting demons in the trash can.
“You must drink it now.” He pushed it to my lips again.
I drank it in two gulps. “Ack. Sorry, but that’s nasty.”
“It will work, but it takes time. You must rest.”
I nodded. “How did you learn this? I mean, I saw your power to heal at the amusement park, but you’re as good as my mom with the herbs.”
“My father made certain that I was trained in all matters of magic and healing so that I could face the most formidable of foes. I demand that you rest, Guardian. Your body cannot heal if you continue to push.”
“Before I do that, can you do something about these scratches on the back of my head?” I parted my hair so he could see.
“Mesht.”
I didn’t know the word, but I understood its meaning. “You are the one who is powerful. This close to the human brain, you are lucky you are not paralyzed.”
His hands moved over my head gently. He pushed tiny strands of hair back from my forehead.
I inhaled his scent, a mixture of musk and cloves. His eyes held concern, and something happened in that moment. I didn’t see him just as the demon king, I saw him as a man.
He’s not a man. Get it together, Gillian. He’s a demon.
Arath pulled back and looked at me as if he knew what I’d been thinking.
The burning ants took over the top of my scalp. I knew what to expect so I didn’t groan this time, but when his hand reached the back of my neck the pain dissipated.
Unfortunately, so did any energy I had left. He caught me as I tumbled off the counter, and carried me in his arms like a baby.
“Home,” I managed to whisper.
“Soon,” he said as he touched my cheek.
I wished he didn’t smell so good.
CHAPTER 8
It was noon the next day before my eyes even thought
about opening. I tested a quick blink, surprised there were no ill effects from the previous night.
There was just one problem. I didn’t remember getting to my room.
“The demon king brought you home.” The simple statement sounded like an insult coming from my mother. I didn’t need to see her to know she wasn’t happy with me. She pulled the curtains back and I blinked against the light.
I opened my mouth to explain. She held up a hand.
“I’m not angry, child. Arath told Jake that your strength and sheer willpower were what kept you alive.” Some mothers might have been weeping with joy that their child had survived. Not mine.
Oh, she loved me and was glad I was alive, but there was no doubt she was disappointed in me. Rule number two in the Guardian’s handbook is to never show weakness. The fact that the demon king had had to save my life was a big no-no.
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. It sounded lame even to me. “I know I’ve disappointed you.”
Mom sat on the edge of the bed and pursed her lips. She was dressed in a long red skirt with a matching sweater and boots. She looked as though she’d just stepped out of a Carolina Herrera store. Prim and proper, with a simple gold chain at her neck and the diamond studs she never took out of her ears. My dad had given them to her on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, just two years before he died. Her white-blonde hair was held by a clip at the base of her neck. She didn’t look like a powerful mage. It was a part of her deception.
“On the contrary. It seems you have a fan in the demon king. Jake said Arath was quite worried about you. He stayed for several minutes to make sure the men followed his instructions explicitly. Including telling Jake to call me.”
She took my hand in hers. “The healers tell me that whatever magic he used on you saved your life. He’s quite powerful.”
I crossed my legs under the sheet. “I’ve never come across anyone like him. Do you know about him?”
She dropped my hand and stood. “If you’re asking if I know about his mother and father, the answer is yes.” Her steel gray eyes stared at me. “I assume you’ve discovered the truth about his parents, or at least part of it.” She glanced down at her watch. “I don’t have time to explain, but I’d appreciate it if you could keep this quiet for now. There are circumstances.” She sighed. “It’s complicated. I have to go.”
I knew a brush-off when I heard one, but I had to know the truth. “Mom, how could she leave her children behind? It doesn’t sound like something Aunt Juliet would do.”
Her hand stilled on the door. “Gillian, she didn’t
leave
her children. She thinks they are dead. There has been a shift in the universe and problems with the treaties. We’re dealing with some very dark magic, and all hell is about to break loose. I don’t use that phrase lightly. I don’t have time to discuss King Arath’s lineage right now.”
My mother never did anything lightly. If she was worried, things were much worse than I could ever imagine. I moved my legs to the side of the bed. “What do you mean?”
“There was a reason why you girls were kept so busy last night. They wanted you distracted. Someone set a plan in motion that could destroy our world and several others. It’s going to take all of us working together to keep the peace.”
She reached the door and turned back. “And, Gillian, I’m sorry about your friend Markie. Jake told me what happened. I’ve given Jake some of my theories. I think someone may be trying to distract you in a horrific way. They want to catch you off guard and drive you away from your purpose. It’s possible we are on the precipice of war. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I did. Be focused and concentrate on what is most important. One of the many lessons she’d drummed into our heads. If the treaties were dissolved it wouldn’t cause problems just for Earth; other worlds could also be destroyed. It was the Guardian Keys’ duty to make sure that didn’t happen.
Even if the end of the world might be on the way, I
still had work to do. Our main offices were downtown, and if I had to be gone for a few days it was always good to go in even for a short time to show my face.
I signed papers and did about four weeks’ worth of work in three hours. I’m lucky that my assistant, Georgia, is incredibly good at her job and mine. She makes it easy on me. Thanks to her I was able to catch up and get ahead. She was one of the few people at Caruthers Corp. who knew about both sides of my life.
I also had a press conference scheduled with Roland Falk, the owner of one of the largest art supply companies in the world. He was one of the major contributors to our Arts in Schools program, and he would be one of several people honored at the big arts ball. Even though I didn’t really have time, the conference would work to my benefit.
The press would see me in my capacity as CEO and fund-raiser, and the appearance would make it look like I was at the office working hard. It also pleased Roland, which meant big bucks for our program, something dear to my heart.
Caruthers Corp. had several floors and we kept a large conference room on the first floor for events like this. Our publicity coordinator, Sharron, introduced me, and then I talked about Roland and his many contributions to the cause. He gave about a five-minute speech, and then we took questions.
A handsome man, Roland didn’t look anywhere near his sixty years of age. He’d been friends with my parents for as long as I could remember. When my father died, he was there for all of us. I thought maybe at some point he and my mom might date, but they never had anything but a casual dinner together once a month or so at the club.
All went according to plan with the press until Franklin Conrad from WJLP radio asked, “Ms. Caruthers, would you like to comment on your involvement with the recent murder of Markie Stewart? Is it true she had an affair with your boyfriend, Emilio? A source of mine says she bought several of his paintings in the last few weeks.”
A solid left punch to the chin would have hurt less. Tears burned the corners of my eyes. I put on the biggest fake smile I had and killed the reporter with kindness. “We are here to talk about Arts in Schools, a cause that my lovely friend Markie Stewart was actively involved in. She was a wonderful and talented businesswoman, and one of my dearest friends. Her love of art was evident by the huge collection she amassed over the years. Many of the pieces I advised her on were purchased through my galleries. As we mentioned in the release, she is one of the people, along with Roland, whom we will honor at the ball.”
Sharron, bless her, leaned into the microphone. “That’s all we have time for today. We have copies of the release on the table by the door.”
I’d always been envious of Sharron’s toasted almond skin, but I also admired her ability to do her job. She never let me down, especially in tough situations like this.
She turned off the mike and squeezed my hand. “He’s an ass,” she whispered. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks.” I squeezed back.
Roland put a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get you back to your office. William?” He pointed to his bodyguard, a bald Latino man who was about the same size as Arath, only much wider. “Please help Ms. Caruthers to her office.”
The reporters, as stunned as I was by the turn of events, fired off questions as William cut a path through them. Roland was on one side of me, Sharron on the other, and Georgia brought up the rear.
“I’ll notify security about what happened, and Sharron will send out a release to employees that they are not to discuss anything to do with Ms. Stewart’s death,” Georgia said once we made it into the elevator.
“The gall of the man, trying to tie you to the murder.” Roland huffed in disgust. “The media can be a useful tool, but it took everything I had not to punch him as we walked by.”
That made me smile. “Thank you, Roland. Thanks to all of you for helping me. It’s unfortunate that had to happen.” I tried to be professional, but inside I couldn’t help wondering what the reporter meant. Had Emilio and Markie been seen together? I advised her on all of her art buys and kept an extensive inventory of her collections. As far as I knew, she’d never purchased any of Emilio’s art.
When the doors opened, I stepped out with Sharron and Georgia, while Roland and William stayed behind to go back down. “You know there’s a secret entrance to the garage on the third floor?”
Roland took my hand in his. “Yes, love, but I’ll not be hiding away in secret. We are doing good work, and I’m not going to let some nasty reporter keep us from doing that. I’ll leave through the front door, thank you.” He squeezed my hand and then waved good-bye.
Back in my office I called Kyle. He’d already seen
the press conference, which had been carried live by several local stations. That’s why we’d done it at five.
“Do you know what he was talking about?” Kyle answered the phone with a question.
“No. Not a clue. I mean, they’d met through dinners with me, but I don’t know what that guy meant. Markie isn’t the kind of woman to have affairs with her friends’ boyfriends. She was a flirt, but a straight-up human being.” I sat down at my desk and turned to look out at the sun dipping behind the buildings downtown. “You know, at first when he said that about my involvement I panicked for a few seconds and thought he meant the dream. Freaked me out in a big way.”
“Well, you handled it with your usual professionalism. I promise to check into it right away. If something was going on, I’ll have an answer for you in a few hours.”
I sighed. “If they had an affair, I’m not sure I want to know.”
“I hear ya. Listen, Jake mentioned you guys are having some trouble with some kind of universal shifts. I don’t promise to know what the hell that is, but I do know it’s creating problems for you and your sisters. So as hard as it might be, you concentrate on the saving-the-world stuff, and I’ll handle the earthbound crap.”