Sixteen

 

“Anne, can you hear me?” I knew the voice speaking to me. Female. I’d heard it somewhere, but I wasn’t sure where. I was in so much pain I could hardly think. Pressure pounded on my head. It might explode, which was probably exactly what Frank wanted. Something had sucked my remaining power from me earlier. I had none left to fight with, and then …

“Ooh, he’s a big one. A bad one.”

“Can you fix her?” Garrett asked the unknown person. “Can you get it out?”

A pause. “Consider it done. Hold on, Anne. This is going to hurt.”

What didn’t? I might have said that aloud. I wasn’t sure. Frank rounded on me, his red eyes blazing. “You aren’t getting out of here alive.”

I could have believed him. I was beaten, bruised, wrecked in ways I might never come back from. I’d spent a year in and out of a cage with a demon in my head. But, I didn’t choose to listen to him. Garrett was there. I would bet the others were too.

“Did you lose the demon?” Mason asked someone other than me.

Some panting, like a person had been running a long time. “Sure did.” Milo. What had he been doing with a demon?

A touch on my head. “Don’t worry, love.”

The demon and I faced off. Frank—the original who had come and never left my side—and I stared at one another.

Locked in a dark room that had no doors, it was just the two of us. I shoved at him and he actually fell backwards. “Maybe I’m not the one who’s going to die.”

“I’m an original. I don’t die.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Like you couldn’t be possessed? Which one of us possessed whom? You didn’t want this anymore than I did. But you know what? Maybe I wouldn’t let you go. I bet that was it.”

His jaw opened, but no sound came out. “You thought your demons in the mines down there were going to help you. You counted on it. The power surge you used here speaks volumes. But you’re losing. You’re going to die.”

“Hold on, Anne.” That woman again. She had to be Teagan, the Sister we’d come to save. I was yanked forward, nearly falling on my face. But this wasn’t real. Out there, out where my guards were, that was the real world. This was just another prison, and I was busting out. End of story.

The walls faded, and so did Frank. He roared, and as the heat from the sun hit my skin, I actually laughed. I knew it sounded insane, yet I couldn’t stop. The laughter moved through me until I cried from it. Mason drew me against him and held on. I managed to stop my hysterics long enough to look at Teagan.

An explosion of red covered me before a cold ghost of wind blew it on. I panted. After all of that, Frank was gone. I’d never have to see him again. When Teagan threw him out of me, he’d just … dusted? How did this work? My head was too full to ask. I could feel a wicked migraine forming behind my eyes. I grabbed Teagan by the leg.

“Thank you.”

She hugged me. “No, thank you.”

There was gratitude to be found on all fronts.

Teagan had dark circles under her eyes. Otherwise she looked exactly as I would have expected. She rubbed at her face like it pained her. “Can I ask a question? Why are your guards’ eyes white?”

“Because I’m really, really lucky.”

 

Teagan and I sat across from each other in the carriage. We were both a mess. A good shower and a week of good food might help fix things. We weren’t, however, there yet. I’d asked the guys to give us a moment and not leave the location.

They’d stared at me with various degrees of horror on their faces. Now that I wasn’t blocked, I could actually feel them inside of me like balls of light holding onto my soul. Thinking about the image brought pleasure through my body. This was what it felt like to be loved. This is what it was to never be alone.

I couldn’t revel in it right then. “There are demons all over here.”

She winced. “I tried when I first got here to do something about them. I failed.”

“You were in chains and alone. You’re not now.” I knew what I would ask was completely too much to expect of her. Still, I was asking. “You and me. We could do this together.”

Teagan leaned forward, her long blond hair falling over her shoulders. “Together.”

We opened the carriage door and hand-in-hand, hoodless, headed toward the mine. Bryant jumped down in front of me from the top of the carriage. “Going somewhere?”

I pointed down. “We came here to take care of those demons. We can’t very well leave without doing so.”

Mason jumped down next. “Think you’re up for that?”

I could feel their concern. It moved through my blood. I couldn’t read their thoughts, but I could feel the overall sense of worry from them. I wondered if they could feel my resolve. Garrett popped down off the carriage.

“She’s going to do this. You can feel her the same way I can. Let’s keep it as safe as we can. Teagan, while you’re under our care, we’ll make sure you’re okay too.”

Her body shuddered, shaking our joined hands. “I miss them. My five. I’ve wondered …”

“If they left you and weren’t coming back? I’d assumed mine thought I was dead. Maybe yours do, too. Maybe they think you’re dead.”

Milo came around the side of the carriage with Kieran. My youngest guard smiled at me. “If I thought you were dead, I’d never, ever be okay.”

“Let’s do this. I want those demons gone. Then tonight, I’m sleeping like a baby.”

Kieran smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

There turned out to be three demons in the mine. Not one of them had a power level over two, but together they were a problem, a big one, for the poor souls who had no choice but to come here for work. And as I’d been told on the way down, the proceeds were going to the Sisterhood. I had to wrap my head around that.

“The heat”—Teagan shook her head—“I never got used to it.”

“I don’t think it’s all being generated from the mines.”

She agreed, “Yes, the demons are big time heat-generating.”

“At the very least they feed off of it.”

Milo groaned. “Do you take Understanding Demons as some kind of class in the Sisterhood?”

“Yes,” we answered together.

“Got it.”

With our hands still joined, I could feel her power combining with my own. We raised our hands. For once, there was no pain in the clearing. It was like we were supposed to be together. I sighed.

Teagan whispered. “This is so easy. Why is it so simple?”

“I wonder if we were never meant to do this alone?”

And who would I ever ask to get these answers?

 

We rode for two days, only stopping briefly to use the facilities in various inns, and then we were back on the road. Teagan slept across from me in the carriage and then stumbled out of it and into another bed when we arrived at our location. She’d been held captive the better part of five years. I couldn’t imagine the pain.

“What is this place?” I’d stayed outside. The house was huge, as big as the Sisterhood’s. The grounds around it were dead, nothing seemed to grow, and everything around us was grey. I bent over to pick up some of the dusty dirt and let it flow through my fingers.

Kieran came up behind me, kissing my neck. I shuddered. The others had made their way inside; it was the two of us left outside.

“I love how you respond to kisses.” He sucked in his breath. “Remember how I keep bringing up what we did when we couldn’t find you?”

I pointed at the house. “You found this instead?”

“We were led here. At first we thought you were here. The spirits told Milo to come here, and we charged like lunatics. This big, empty house. It was for sale. Given that we had no idea what to do about finding you at that point, we bought it. Cost almost nothing. After we had it, the spirits started talking again. Told us to go north to find you. It was like we had to do this first. I didn’t want the demon to know. This is our place. We’ll stay here. Keep you safe here.”

I took a better look at the huge monstrosity. It had … character. I wouldn’t have chosen it for myself, and neither would the guys, I guessed. The spirits had sent them here to buy this? “How many bedrooms?”

“More than we’ll need. Hundred maybe? I haven’t counted. Milo has.” That didn’t surprise me. Milo’s personality was such he’d have to know. Kieran would see the peeling wood on the outside and not want to know too much else.

“This isn’t a house. It’s a … location. Like the Sisterhood.”

In the sky above us, a hundred spirits appeared, flying like the birds I always thought them. They dove and twirled before they poofed out of existence as though they’d never been there. Maybe I’d hit on something. Was I supposed to be doing something here? A Sisterhood …

Kieran whispered in my ear. “Did you see that?”

“Yes.” I kissed his cheek. “Let’s go in.”

I had so much dirt on my body that by the time I got inside to the room they’d picked out for me, all I could think about was a shower. The pipes groaned but gave me hot water, and I let the experience take some of the knots out of my shoulders. Being rid of Frank was bliss.

Kieran gave me some time to myself, but as I’d thought he would, he came into the shower with me eventually. He was as naked as I was, and I immediately admired his lean muscles, running my hands over his abs.

“You are going to turn into a prune in here.” He leaned down to kiss me. “This place is such a mess.”

I took his penis in my hand, cupping the top. He closed his eyes and groaned. “It is a mess. But we can amuse ourselves in the meantime. Can’t we?”

“We can.” He sucked in a long breath as the pipes groaned again. It was a mood killer, and we both ended up cracking up with laughter. I dried him off, and he did the same for me.

Kieran laid me down in the bed. Sometime I’d ask them where they got all the furniture. That night, I didn’t care. Still naked, he came over me, loving me with his eyes.

“I can feel your heart inside of me.” I kissed his chin. “Thank you for loving me.”

His eyes widened. “Thank you for loving me, too. I can feel yours too. Put your hands on the headboard, if you would. I want to play with your body for a little while.”

I smiled. Only Kieran would order me around and somehow still ask permission at the same time. I did as he’d sort of asked.

He started with my cheeks, planting a kiss on each one of them, and then lavished my mouth with the same attention. I sighed against him. Having him with me did more to take away the pain of the last few days than anything else could have done. With a moan, he pulled back. His eyes were heated. Tomorrow, I’d figure out how to get their eye colors back. I missed looking at them. But right now there was nothing hotter than Kieran’s white depths.

My love moved down to my neck, kissing and biting gently as he went. He found a particular spot in the corner where my neck met my shoulder, and I squirmed, heat pooling between my legs.

“She has a spot.” He smiled against it before he nipped me right there. I cried out.

He moved his hand until it travelled down my body, stopping only to caress my nipples before he pressed his finger between my legs, finding my clit.

“Just out of curiosity, for my own edification …” His voice trailed off, and he bit down on my spot while at the same time he stroked the small bundle of nerves in a circle. I called out his name, my back arching off the bed. “Love it.”

“Kieran, I want to let go of the headboard. I want to touch you.”

“Do it.” His words gave me permission, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing his face everywhere I could reach. His mouth met my own as he slipped deep inside of me. I was ready, more than. I’d wanted him for days. We’d had no time alone after we’d co-joined, and now that I could actually sense the joining, I’d more than noticed the lack of Kieran time.

They were each important. I needed him as much as the others, and right then he was the only person in the world I wanted.

He pressed himself inside of me until he was balls deep. I moaned against his mouth as he gasped against mine. Yes. Yes. Yes.

As he moved in and out of me, I cried out his name. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry, and the only evidence I had that he was as affected as me was the way his neck muscles strained. I squeezed him tighter, bringing him further inside of me when he would pull out. I was greedy. I wanted more. So much more.

“Anne.” He raised an eyebrow. “You do that and this won’t last long.”

I appreciated the warning, but I wasn’t done. When he thrust, I met his movements with my hips. He groaned, speeding up our dance. I knew he was close. He bent over to kiss me, and I lost myself to it.

We came together, a shattering of our bodies, hearts, and minds. I didn’t care if I never got put together the same way again. He was mine; that was all that mattered.

 

Kieran fell asleep before I did. We had been silently touching one another, and then he stopped. His breathing evened out. With his head turned toward mine, I could see him in the moonlight. I rolled over until I could hold him and pressed my forehead into his back. He made a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a sigh before he took my arm in his hand and tugged me even closer. I closed my eyes, smelling his skin.

A small knock sounded on the door before Bryant poked his head in. He entered, closing it silently behind him and walked on silent feet towards us. I smiled at him as he slipped in the bed next to me. In the same way I held Kieran, he held me.

Bryant laid a small kiss on the back of my shoulder. “You need two of us to sleep really well.”

I was going to spend the whole next day reading all of Garrett’s books. I would know what they did. For then, I was glad to be snuggled in between them. I closed my eyes. Bryant was right. Having two of them there did make me feel more like I could rest.

Sleep came, quick and dreamless.

 

I woke up slowly. Light strewed into the room, gentle in the way only the earliest morning rays could be. Kieran snored lightly, having not moved at all and behind me. Bryant took a deep, even breath; he was also still asleep. What had woken me up?

Today it begins …

The room was filled with the spirits. I raised my head to look at them. They were beautiful in their otherness, and where they had once filled me with a certain amount of trepidation, I no longer felt anything but awe.

Remember what you’ve always known, Sister Anne.

I closed my eyes. They’d delivered their message, and so I could rest.

 

I’d spent most of the morning reading Garrett’s books. I’d not even made a dent in the amount of knowledge there was to know. My head hurt. Teagan walked slowly into the room and sat down.

She pointed at the pile. “Do I want to know?”

“You probably should, although ‘want’ is a strong word. How are you?”

Teagan sunk into a chair. “Beat up. My body … I took a good look. It’s pretty destroyed. I hardly recognize myself. I thought I was so tough. I was going to do what I wanted, keep my guards, and defy Katrina. I was so stupid. I had no idea how weak I was or how little I understood about anything.”

I patted her knee. “You’ve been punished enough; stop punishing yourself.”

Mason appeared in the doorway. “We have visitors.”

Teagan raised her eyebrows, and then looked at me. I shook my head. “Who could possibly know we’re here?”

“Some people I think you’re going to want to see.”

I rose and followed him outside, Teagan close behind me. At the front door I abruptly stopped. Standing there, just as they had at the train station, were Sister Daniella and her guards. They were lined up, Daniella in the middle—which made me wonder if this was their standard pose—staring at me.

She cleared her throat. “Good. You have Teagan. Now the work can start. We’re all just where we’re supposed to be.”

I crossed my arms. This woman had kept me alive when I’d lost hope. I’d always be grateful. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Your demon kept me out.” She shrugged like it wasn’t that big of a deal. “You had things to do that I couldn’t participate in. Now that’s changed.”

That was when I noticed the children. Three little girls stood behind her. They were close in height, which gave the impression that they were of similar ages, but I knew better than to assume. One of them might be very tall and the others small for their ages. They were a blonde, a brunette, and one who had almost black hair.

Daniella followed my gaze. “I know what you’re thinking. They told you Sisters didn’t have children, and that’s true because the food they feed the men keeps them sterile during their time there. Six months off the daily dosing your guards regained their ability to father children.

By the bottom step, my guards each reacted a little bit. A movement of their arm, a twitch of their feet. If I had any doubt about them not knowing what they’d just been told, I need only feel inside of me. Their total and complete shock moved through me.

“Don’t worry about that now. This is Carissa, Drea, and Georgia.” I nodded at her daughters and tried to smile. “We’re going to come inside now. All of us have to get this thing up and running. We don’t have much time.”

Her words made my stomach clench. “Until what?”

“Until whatever is happening next.” She approached slowly. “I don’t know what it will be, my darling. But I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that now that we are all together, something, indeed, will come.”

Teagan walked up next to me and whispered in my ear. “I’d do what she says. I can’t imagine not.”

She was right. Daniella was a force. I didn’t dare oppose her. “Well, then welcome to our home.”

Daniella smiled. “You’ll be ready soon.”

“For what?” I felt like I was always asking her that.

“To be Sister Superior, of course. I’ll help you until you are ready. Then we shall see what it takes to save this world. There is always a chance when there is hope. You are hope.”

Mason put his arm around my shoulder. “Is that dread I’m getting from you? Don’t want to be Sister Superior?”

“I was thinking about the one that’s already in place.” My aunt Katrina wasn’t going to like anything about this. The question was, how badly would it all turn out? “I never wanted to be Sister Superior. I wanted to help people, keep you five alive, and somehow live to be old enough to say I didn’t want to do this anymore. Now I’m going to be Sister Superior, and I might be pregnant.”

A shudder ran through me. I looked out in the distance at the same time Teagan and Daniella did. Somewhere, not far from here, there was a demon. Would there come a time when I would send someone out to fight it? Would that be my job?

“It’s far.” Daniella shook her head. “If it’s coming, let it try. We’ve got work to do. Is there running water?”

She walked right past me into the house the spirits had sent my guards to find—the Sisterhood we were going to build in the middle of the Deadlands.