~ TWENTY-THREE ~

Hanna struggled to focus on the conversation. Her thoughts were jumbled. Her mouth was dry, and her throat burned. A stinging sensation traveled from her scalp to her feet. She knew it was the demon, Erebus. Her vision slowly became increasingly blurry.

Adam pressed her palm against his thigh. What’s wrong, babe?”

She opened her mouth to tell him, but she closed her mouth without saying a word when Erebus walked past the table. It’s time for you to kill Adam for me.

Tell me what’s wrong, babe.

How will he protect you from me when he can’t even see me?

Hanna?

Nothing is wrong. Her vision became completely distorted. Colors were spinning as objects in the dining room contorted. Even the walls appeared to be melting.

Again, Erebus walked past the table. Let my hatred for him be yours. Let it fill you until it consumes you.

She couldn’t stand to be near Adam, breathing in his scent made her feel sick. The feeling of his hand on hers caused her stomach to roll. She needed to get away from him. Far away. Touching him became increasingly unbearable. She pulled her hand away from his.

He looked at her. “Do you want to leave?”

She felt his leg move against hers. “Please, don’t touch me.” She moved her leg away from his. “It hurts. I can’t stand to have any part of your body touching mine.” She turned to the side, and preparing to stand up, she placed her hand on the table to steady herself.

He placed his hand over hers. “It’s okay. I’ll take you back to our suite.”

Sharp, bone deep pain traveled from her fingertips to her shoulder as she looked down at his hand over hers. “I told you that I don’t want you to touch me.” Rage and hatred filled her, consumed her. “I told you it hurts.” She lifted her gaze to his as she pulled her hand out from under his.

“It’s okay, Hanna. We can get rid of him. Let me help you. You know what to do. Take my power and use it to…”

“Shut up,” she blurted. Keeping her gaze locked onto his, she reached to the side, picked up the first thing her hand touched, and thrust it into his hand. “You’re making it worse.” She turned to the side, got up, and walked away from the table.

****

“Holy crap,” Mia blurted.

“I didn’t see that coming,” Joseph said.

“That has to hurt bad. Really bad.” Mia looked down at Adam’s hand. “I can’t believe she just stabbed you with a fork.”

“Not a fork.” Clenching his jaw, Adam gripped the handle and pulled it from his hand. “A spoon.” He tossed the spoon onto the table and got up to follow Hanna.

“A soupspoon. Oh, my god,” Mia pointed. “It went all the way through the table. How’s that possible? It was a spoon. What’s going on with her?”

“She moved too fast for being human,” Joseph remark. “And she used too much strength.”

“You think? She just shoved a spoon through his hand and the table. What is going on?”

Joseph shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure, but we’re about to be attacked. I can’t locate the threat.”

“She started to act strange a few minutes after the waitress walked away. Did you recognize her?”

“No.” Joseph reached over and grabbed Hanna’s glass of water.

“What are you doing?”

He took a drink of the water. “She was drugged.”

“And you just drank it?” She smacked the back of his head. “What the hell is wrong with you, Joseph?”

 “It can’t hurt me. Not really. And it’s the fastest way to figure out what’s in it.”

“What’s in it?”

“I’m not sure. It’s some type of hallucinogenic.”

Joseph reached for Adam. It was the water. She has been drugged.

With what?

I’m trying to figure it…oh, shit. Joseph stood up. Stop her, Adam. It’s not just a drug. There’s a compulsion in it. Not an ordinary compulsion. It’s fucking powerful. He looked at Mia. “Go now. Find the waitress. Don’t approach her. Let me know when you find her. We’ll want to question her.  But don’t get too far away from me. Stay merged with me.”

****

The instant Adam felt Hanna become anxious, he tried to touch her mind to figure out what was happening. He hit a brick wall. He pushed. But it was too solid for him to get past it.

He sent a call out to his soldiers. We’re about to get hit hard at the restaurant.

I’m coming. He wasn’t surprised to hear from Gabe so fast. Gabe believed his firedragon ruled him. He didn’t fully understand that he was his dragon. He didn’t understand his power.

He looked at Joseph. We’re about to get hit hard. And Erebus is in Hanna’s head.

I know.

I am going to try to get her out of here.

He got in front of her and held his hand out to her. “We need to leave. Come with me, Hanna.”

She placed her hand in his and started to walk with him. Then, she stopped, forcing him to stop rather than drag her. “Please, Adam. You need to let go of my hand. It hurts.”

He wrapped his arms around her, planning to shift with her, but he instantly realized his powers were being blocked.

Obviously, realizing what he had planned, Joseph merged with him. Don’t try to shift with her through the spells. It’s too dangerous.

“Tell me what’s happening, Hanna.”

“Nothing.” She turned her back to him, stumbling a bit. “I just need to get away from you. It hurts when you touch me.”

He took her hand, unwilling to let her fall or walk away from him. “You know what’s happening. It’s Erebus. He’s in your head. We defeated him before. Remember? Take all that I have and use it to kick him out.”

“You’re hurting me.” She pressed her free hand to her head. “Let go.”

“We need to get out of here.”

“I’m going to be sick.” Wrapping her arm around her waist, she hunched over a bit. “I need to find the restroom.”

“I’ll walk with you.”

“No.” She shoved away from him “I can walk all by myself. “This isn’t my life. I want to be free.”

“We will figure it out.”

“No. It’s you. I can’t be with you. It feels wrong.”

“It’s the compulsion.”

“You want to do the same thing. You want to control me.”

“That’s not true.”

“I know you’re controlling me, making me want you. I hate you, Adam. You’re no different than the others.”

“Let me help you. I can protect you.”

“I wouldn’t need protection if I’d never come across a demon. I had a life. I had a…I had a family. My family. Oh, no. I killed them.” She turned to face him. “I killed them, Adam. I killed my family.”

“It wasn’t you.”

She held her hands up. “I did it. My hands are…I killed them”

“You can’t blame yourself.”

“I did it.”

“You were under a compulsion, Hanna. You couldn’t fight it.”

“They begged me to stop.” She turned away from him.

He turned her around. “It was not your fault.”

“I’ll do it to you.” She pushed him back. “I’ll lead him to you.”

“I wish he would come to me. He won’t. He hides in you and sends others. He won’t come to me.”

“You don’t know what he can do.” When he tried to wrap his arms around her, she pushed him away. “Please. Don’t. It hurts when you touch me.”

“It’s a compulsion. Look at me, Hanna. I love you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. The only thing he can do to me is hurt you. He wouldn’t stand a chance going up against me. He knows that. That’s why he won’t face me. Merge with me. Take what you need from me to fight him.”

****

The second Gabe realized Adam was about to be attacked at the restaurant, he reached for Larissa. Where are you? She didn’t answer, but he felt her awareness of his presence, of his voice. I need to know if you’re safe. Where are you?

I’m fine, Gabe. I’m at the restaurant.

Gabe entered the restaurant, glancing around, searching for her. He knew from past experience that Kazimir’s men would have shooters in place to attack people attempting to flee while others rushed in and sprayed the building with bullets. Where?

“Right here,” she said from behind.

He faced her. “C’mon,” he wrapped his arm around her shoulder to make sure his body was shielding hers. “None of the exits are safe.” He led her to a corner to enable him to keep his body between hers and the shooters.

“What’s happening, Gabe?” She no sooner asked, and the lights went out. “Oh, no. Not again.”

“It’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. I need you to stay behind me no matter what happens.” He turned away from her, removed his gun from his shoulder holster, and searched for the shooters.

When he felt her palm press against his lower back, he reached behind him and took her hand in his.

****

The instant an explosion of gunfire ripped through the building, Hanna felt a terrible blow to the center of her chest. Excruciating pain moving through her body, she collapsed.

Adam caught her and lowered her slowly. “I have you, babe.” She felt blood gushing from her body, pooling beneath her. It was too dark to see him, but she knew his body was covering hers, shielding hers from further harm. She tried to reach up and touch him, but she couldn’t move her arm. She knew it was too late for her. She began to panic. He needed to move, to protect himself from being shot.

She gasped and choked on blood, struggling to take a breath to tell him to go.

“I am not leaving you. Merge with me, Hanna. I need you to open your mind, your soul to me.”

She opened herself to him fully as she reached for his mind, his soul. The crushing pain in her chest lessened, but she couldn’t take a breath. Not one. She realized he’d taken the pain into his own body. She didn’t want him to suffer. She didn’t want him to experience her death.

“Your death would be mine. Stop telling yourself your dying. I won’t let you die. I have you. Just stay with me. Hold onto me. Let me hold you.”

The lights came on. The fear and sadness in Adam’s eyes broke her heart. He knew it was over. She was dying. She didn’t fully share his sadness. A part of her felt relief. She wasn’t afraid to die. She’d long ago wanted to escape the guilt that haunted her. She needed to find peace.

“No, babe. Don’t you dare give up. Don’t leave me alone.”

 She didn’t want to leave him, but she couldn’t continue living with Erebus, a cruel monster, in her blood, in her head. She would never escape the memories of her parents last moments. She’d killed them. And one day, Adam would let his guard down and she would kill him. I’m so sorry, Adam. I don’t want to leave you. I will always love you. She closed her eyes.

“I led them to my family, Hanna. I watch them kill my family. I led them to my family. I didn’t do anything to protect them.”

She opened her eyes, struggling to focus on his face, needing to comfort him. It wasn’t your fault, Adam. You were a child.

“If you are to blame for your parent’s being killed, I am to blame for my family being slaughtered. You choose. Do we live, or do we die together? I will follow wherever you lead me.”

I don’t want to die.

“I won’t let you die. I love you, Hanna. Take all that I have to offer and fight for us, fight for our future.”

****

After putting a bullet in the last shooter’s head, Gabe turned to Larissa. “Are you okay.”

“I’m fine.”

He put his gun away. “I need to help Adam’s mate. She’s dying.” He draped his arm over her shoulder. “Stay close.” Keeping her tucked under his arm to protect her from being trampled, he shoved his way through the chaos. When he knelt next to Hanna, he caught Larissa’s hand and pulled her down with him. “Do you remember when you helped me connect with Anne to check on her and the baby?”

“Yes,” Larissa replied. Then, looking down at Hanna, she gasped. “Oh, no.”

“It’s okay. I can heal her, but I’ll hurt her if I make direct physical contact with her. Will you help me again?”

“Of course.”

 “I need you to touch her and allow me to connect with her through you.” When she touched Hanna, Gabe studied Hanna’s injury and pushed healing energy into her through Larissa. It’s bad, Adam. Her heart is damaged. You need to do it.

I know. But she can’t take a breath.

I’ll have her airway clear in a few seconds.

I can’t lose her.

You won’t. When I open her airway up the relief will be very brief. She’ll have one breath. Two at the most. Do it the second she takes a breath. She’s resisting me, trying to block me. Can you get her to allow me to freely merge with her?

She won’t. Use force.

Gabe glanced at Larissa. “You’re going to feel a huge surge of power coming from me. It’ll feel aggressive and violent, but it’s part of me. It won’t hurt you. Don’t let go of her.”

“I won’t.”

****

Joseph knelt next to Adam to lend his healing energy as he utilized his line of communication with Mia to make sure she was all right and let her know what was happening. We had six shooters in the dining room. All are dead.

The waitress is dead. Mia replied.

You killed her?

No. I found her dead in the kitchen. Her throat was slit.

Anyone else?

I don’t know. There’s blood everywhere. The kitchen is…oh, shit. I need help.

The instant Joseph felt the knife rip through Mia’s back, he shifted to her. As Mia got to her feet and turned to face her attacker, Joseph solidified between her and the vampire. He ripped the knife from the idiot’s hand. The vampire tried to back away from Joseph.

“What are you doing you dumb son of a bitch? You’re not going anywhere. You just stuck a knife in my mate’s back.”  Joseph shoved the blade up underneath the vampire’s jaw and shoved it up through his head. Before the vampire fell, Joseph ripped its head from its body and tossed it. With a wave of his hand, he incinerated its corpse, leaving nothing behind.

When he turned to Mia, she had her back to him, kneeling over Megan.

“You’re bleeding.” He knelt behind her, pushing healing energy into her.

“I’m fine.” She turned her head to look up at him. “I think she’s hurt.”

Joseph gently took Megan’s face in his hands. “Are you in pain, sweetheart?”

She stared at Joseph, her eyes darkening until they were solid black. I have her. She can’t hear you or see you. Nikolas said. Haden is having trouble getting through the spells surrounding the building.

“I can’t find any wounds on her,” Mia said. “She’s in shock.”

Joseph shook his head. “It’s Nikolas. He’s protecting her, keeping her unaware while Haden works his way through the spells surrounding the building. We need to get her to where Haden can get to her.” He picked Megan up. “Can you hold her?”

“Of course.” Mia reached for her.

“Come on.” Joseph picked Mia up and walked toward the stairs.

“What are you doing? I can walk.”

“You can’t move as fast as I can.”

“You’re right.”

“And you’re admitting it?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“I have you. Hold her tight.” He knew Nikolas was listening and watching and would be able to let Haden know what was happening. “Haden will be able to shift directly to our suite.”

****

“It’s now or never, Adam. She’ll be able to do it, it’s going to hurt like hell. You need to convince her to take a breath,” Gabe said. “Right now.”

Adam leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “I need you to trust me. It’s going to hurt, but I need you to take a breath, Hanna.” 

She opened her mouth and tried to take a breath, but she couldn’t bear the crushing pain in her chest.

“Just take one breath. I know it hurts like hell. But I need you to take one breath, Hanna.”

She closed her eyes, wanting to slip away from the pain.

 “No. I will not allow you to give up. Take one breath so I can help you.”

She didn’t think it was possible, but she needed to try for him. She opened her mouth to draw a breath into her lungs. Excruciating pain burst in her chest. Then, shocking the hell out of her, his mouth closed over hers. He was taking her breath. He was suffocating her. He was killing her. She didn’t have any desire to fight him. She let herself slip away, trusting him to do whatever she needed him to do.

Feel me, babe. See me. Know me. Feel my love for you. I am your eternal mate. I am the other half of your soul. You are the other half of my soul. You belong to me. I belong to you. Nothing will ever come between us.

One second, she was relaxed, letting herself drift away from him, away from life. The next, she was reaching for him, she was reaching for life.

Receive my eternal breath, Hanna. She felt his warmth, his unconditional love, and his eternal devotion to her. Come back to me. He was breathing into her, filling her lungs. I need you with me for forever.

Enormous waves of power washed over her, flooded her body, and her mind. She felt it cleansing her blood, freeing her mind from the bond she’d shared with Erebus. For a second, she felt his rage as he attempted to hold onto her, but he couldn’t. She was free. Completely. Forever. She was free from his presence.

She opened her eyes to find Adam looking down at her, watching her.

“He’s gone,” she whispered. “He’s really gone, Adam.”

Adam smiled, framing her face with his palms. “I know, babe. How do you feel?”

“Better.” When she started to sit up, he helped her. “I’m fine.” She placed her hand on her chest, over her heart. “I’m totally fine.” She glanced down at her chest. “It’s…it’s like it never happened. It’s like I was never shot.”

He nodded. “It’s healed, babe.”

“Erebus is gone Adam.” She smiled. “He is really gone.”

“Get her out of here,” Gabe said. “The police are preparing to come in. I’ll take care of Kazimir.”

“We need to go now, Hanna.” He scooped her up and turned to Gabe. “Thank you.”

Gabe nodded. “Anytime.”

****

As Demetri walked past Kazimir’s men, they dropped to their knees. “Kazimir, you piece of shit, what the hell do you have to say for yourself.”

Kazimir turned to face him. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“Nice try. You don’t get to decide what I choose to involve myself with.”

“We’ve never had a problem.”

“You never truly pissed me off before today.”

“I’m here for Adam.”

“And yet you struck out at his mate.”

“My business with him has nothing to do with you.”

Demetri smiled. “You’re right. And if you’d went after him, I wouldn’t have a reason to consider you my enemy. But being a coward, you went after his woman rather than him. And that’s very bad news for you.”

“Why?”

“I am indebted to her. She offered comfort and compassion to my mate when I was unable to.”

“If you fuck with me, you fuck with Erebus.”

“I do not see him rising to your defense.”

“You will never get your mate back from Erebus. Oh, fuck.” Gripping his head, Kazimir dropped to his knees.

Gabe approached with Larissa at his side. “It looks like you will never see tomorrow, Kazimir.”

“Fuck off, Gabe,” Kazimir hissed.

“Erebus is dead,” Demetri said, to encourage Kazimir to reveal what he knew.

“Wrong? You only thought you killed Erebus.” 

Demetri glanced at Gabe for a second, letting him know that he wanted him to play along to get as much information from Kazimir as possible. “I know you’re been waiting for a long time. You might as well kill the son of a bitch, Gabe.”

“Gladly.”

“When is the last time you talked to Caspian?” Kazimir asked.

“What do you know about my brother?” Demetri asked.

“Other than the fact that you slaughtered him rather than Erebus?”

Demetri decided he didn’t want to hear anymore. He reached out with blurring speed and tore Kazimir’s head from his body.

“Why tell me to kill him if you were planning to lose your shit and do it?” Gabe laughed.

“You were too slow at getting around to it.”

“I thought you were trying to get information from him.”

“I was. But then, I decided I didn’t like what he was saying. Did Hanna survive?”

“Yes.” Gabe nodded. “She made it. He’s with her now.”

Demetri looked at Larissa. “I apologize for losing my shit in front of you.”

“I don’t blame you.” She shrugged. “You actually held it in longer than I expected.”

“We’d better get going,” Demetri said. “The police are starting to swarm.”

“Joseph is going to have a hell of a time dealing with this,” Larissa said. “I should find him.”

“I’ll take care of it, Larissa.” Joseph said from behind.

Larissa faced him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “You don’t want to get tangled up in this mess. Let Gabe take you to your suite.”