Bound by Time (21 page)

She sensed Xapar change his course of action. His evil presence slipped downstairs. Although Rose was down there, Isobel still felt uneasy. Xapar was trying something new; she felt it. What if he went after Amelia? Although she was a channel as well, Isobel knew what Xapar was capable of and her friend didn’t.

Isobel rose quietly and walked out onto the landing. The window pulsed with malignant light. Surrounded by her power Isobel felt no fear of Xapar. She descended the stairs quietly sensing the shadows that slid over the wall. Something else was there besides Xapar.

The dark and quiet house seemed to hunch around her. Isobel crept through the foyer and into the dining room. A quick glance told her whatever was in her house wasn’t in the kitchen. She turned toward the family room. Dark energy oozed through the doorway; it crawled across the walls and crept along the floor. It wasn’t as strong as Xapar’s.

Isobel’s heart leapt in her chest. Amelia! She ran into the family room and skidded to a halt, a cry catching in her throat. A tall, bulky figure bent over the couch, one smoky hand reaching for her friend.

“No!” The demon jerked away as Isobel threw herself over the couch hitting its chest and taking them both to the carpet. Isobel barely noticed Amelia’s cry of alarm. The demon had Isobel’s full attention as she grappled with it. Though her power flowed through her she wasn’t sure what to do with it. A shadowy hand closed around her throat. She curled her legs up and kicked out. It grunted and the hold on her loosened. Bright, white light flooded the room. A gust of air blew over her, and the demon was thrown backward. Damien crashed into the shadowy figure and knocked it to the floor.

Isobel nearly jumped out of her skin when Lucian’s hand closed around her wrist and hauled her to her feet. His wings were out and his light shining. He pulled her back until she stood beside him near the wall. Lucian forced her chin up and looked at her neck. He swore softly, his tawny eyes angry and tense.

Damien flipped the bracelet off his wrist and begin holding up various religious symbols. The Star of David, a pentagram, the nine-pointed star of Bahai, the Wheel of Dharma, the Aum of Hinduism, the star and crescent of Islam. There were several symbols left but when the thing shrieked at the sight of the cross Damien pressed it against the shadow. Latin rolled off his tongue so fast Isobel couldn’t catch the words. The figure thrashed on the floor, but Damien’s muscles bulged and he held it pinned.

With a final command Damien leapt away. The shadow thing screamed. The horrible sound cut through Isobel, and she covered her ears. It shriveled and shrank, disappearing as its shriek faded.

Lucian let go of Isobel and glanced at Amelia. “You all right?”

“Yes,” Amelia whispered.

Lucian nodded and folded his wings.

Damien stood for a long moment, still and silent. He could count the times he’d been filled with so much anger and fear and each time had ended with Isobel’s death. But never had he been angry with her. He lifted his eyes and stared at her. “Did he hurt you?” his voice was quiet with restrained fury.

Isobel stared at the spot on the carpet where the shadow thing had disappeared.

“Isobel!” Anger made his voice rough. She started and raised her eyes to his. “Did he hurt you?”

Isobel shook her head. “Not really.”

It wasn’t the truth. Even from across the darkened room he could see the red and bruised prints on her neck from the demon’s hand. “What the hell were you thinking? You will never, ever do something like that again!” He hadn’t meant to shout at her, but he only had a tenuous hold on his emotions. Damien slid the bracelet back onto his wrist, the gold stretching easily over his hand then becoming snug again as he started toward her. When he reached Isobel he put his arms around her. He concentrated on calming the terror that had torn through him at the sight of her trying to physically overpower a demon. “You will wake me the next time you feel something wrong in this house.”

She raised her face. “Was that a—”

“A lower level demon. Probably here at the bidding of Xapar. Looks like he’s trying other ways to get what he wants,” Damien’s voice was low and tense.

Isobel shivered. “What else does he want besides out of the window?”

“You—
alone
—where he can get to you. Looks like he’s enlisting help to get rid of Amelia and Rose.” Damien’s voice was grim. He gripped her chin and turned her head to the side his eyes on her neck. “Damn him. If I could bring him back just so I could banish him again, I would. Don’t ever do that again.”

“I…” Isobel swallowed. “I should have done something more. I’m sorry.”

Damien shook his head. “Yes. You should have woke me before investigating.”

“No. I meant I should have banished it or something. Isn’t that what I’m here for?”

“No, it isn’t.” He let go of her and crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Lower and mid-level demons are what dark angels are for. That and protecting channels. You are here to take out upper level demons. A channel should never take chances with lesser demons unless there is no other choice. And,” he pointed a finger at her, “
you
never try to fight any of them physically. You don’t have that kind of strength, only dark angels have that. You take out demons with your power.”

Isobel had never seen Damien angry with her before. The blue of his eyes had deepened and his dark brows were drawn down together. He looked like an avenging angel with his wings still out. She looked away. Lucian leaned casually against the wall though she saw in his eyes that he agreed with Damien.

“It wasn’t like I knew that.” Anger and frustration welled up in her. Isobel propped her hands on her hips and glared at Damien. “I’ve never seen a real demon before, at least not in this life. I couldn’t just let it attack Amelia. I’ll admit it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I had to stop it. What did you expect me to do?”

“I expect you to alert me,” he growled.

“Don’t you growl at me like that.” Her face flushed with anger. “I may not have made the best decision tonight, but that doesn’t give you a right to shout at me.”

Damien let his light go and folded his wings, his fury leaching away in the face of her anger. “I know,
meae deliciae
.”

He tried to embrace her but she pushed him away and stalked toward the kitchen. “Why don’t you stick your wings where the sun doesn’t shine?”

“Isobel.” He followed her.

“Leave me alone, Damien.” Her fear of the demon mixed with the anger and adrenaline pumping through her system. She didn’t want him to be nice to her right then. She wanted to vent her frustrations about the limitations of her power. And just where did he think he got the right to yell at her like that?

Damien caught her in the doorway, his grip on her arm gentle. “You scared me tonight. That demon could have killed you. Even so, I shouldn’t have shouted. I’m sorry.”

Isobel resisted his embrace when his arms went around her, though she’d never been able to hang onto her temper long.

“Please,
meae deliciae,”
he whispered into her hair. “Forgive my lapse in judgment.”

She laid her head against his chest feeling the last of her anger burn out though a prickle of irritation remained. She returned his embrace briefly before stepping away. “If I could stay mad longer I would. Since I can’t, I suppose you are forgiven.”

Isaac and Rose rushed past them to the couch. Isaac looked grim and Rose frightened. “Amelia, baby, are you okay?”

Amelia nodded, though the incident had clearly shaken her. Isaac pulled Amelia into a hug while Rose’s eyes swept over her granddaughter to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

Damien raked a hand through his hair. “We will need to be extra vigilant if Xapar is going to start calling in lesser demons.”

Lucian nodded. “I will start camping out on the floor in here when need be.”

Isaac frowned. “I wish we were having more luck with locating the vial.”

“I do too.” Damien walked out of the family room and into the kitchen. The clock on the microwave read 3:14 a.m. He took a quick drink of water and turned to Isobel. “You still need sleep. So does Rose.”

“Rose won’t go back to bed until Amelia is asleep and she is sure our granddaughter is safe.” Isaac chuckled as he followed them into the kitchen. “She’s a stubborn woman.”

Isobel understood how Rose felt. She was so keyed up, exhausted, and irritated at the same time her body didn’t know what to do. “I’m not sure I can sleep again after that.”

“You are going to try,” Damien said, catching hold of her hand as he started toward the stairs.

She yanked her hand from his and crossed her arms, a stubborn expression on her face. “Oh I am, am I?”

“Isobel, you look exhausted. I know you are still upset with me, but please, will you try to get some more sleep?”

Isobel stifled a yawn. Maybe she could sleep. It was irrational to try and force herself to stay awake just because she was annoyed. Isobel walked past him to the stairs. “Perhaps I will try to get some more sleep.”

Damien followed her without saying a word. He had a feeling anything he said at that moment would be used against him. Better to just let her cool the rest of the way down on her own. He lay down in the bed with her though he didn’t need to sleep anymore. She snuggled her back up against him. Cautiously, Damien encircled his arm around her waist. When she didn’t push away, he relaxed. Within moments she slipped quietly back into slumber.

Her dreams were anything but restful. Occasionally, Xapar would whisper through them and images of the demon in the family room towered over her. Eusebia appeared several times, each time urging her to find the saint. Isobel couldn’t tell if the woman was impatient or desperate. Sorsha hissed and growled like a feral cat. Her father lay in a puddle of blood, his empty eye sockets dripping.

She woke with a start, sitting up as terror filled her. Cold sweat beaded on her skin as her chest tightened. Her inability to pull anything more than a small sip of air in panicked her further. Her muscles shook and her head swam.

Damien’s hands were warm on her arms, and his blue eyes swam across her vision. “Isobel?”

Light flooded the room. She shook her head. “Not…Xapar…” she gasped out.

The light dimmed but remained. “What is it then? I don’t sense anything else in the house right now.”

“Panic…attack…” The minutes crawled by while she rode the wave of terror.

Damien remained silent, his hands rubbing her back gently. Finally, the band around her chest started to let loose, and she could breathe again. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her arms on them.

Isobel heaved in a huge breath and let it out as the racing of her heart slowed, and she laid her head on her arms, face turned away from Damien. So much for being the great and wonderful channel that Eusebia had seen so many centuries ago.

Damien’s hand ran down her hair. “Better?”

She nodded but didn’t look at him. He sighed and it sounded frustrated. “Isobel, what’s wrong? Are you still upset with me?”

“No.”

“Then what? Please talk to me.”

“It’s ridiculous. There is nothing to be afraid of and yet my body completely overreacts. I know there is nothing to be frightened of when it’s happening and still I can’t do anything about it.” A tear of frustration spilled down her face.

Damien shifted so he could slide a finger under her chin. The gentle pressure made her look up. His eyes were kind. “You shouldn’t be ashamed.”

Isobel shook her head. “I should be. I’m supposed to be this great hope for getting rid of Xapar and here I sat panicked out of my wits at absolutely nothing. How can I face a demon if I can’t even face nothing?”

Damien leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. His eyes were intense when he locked his gaze on hers. “You will face the demon with all of the courage I know you have in your heart,
meae deliciae
. The same courage that took you downstairs alone. The same courage that made you try and fight that demon.” He kissed along her jaw line, and she shivered when she felt his warm breath in her ear. “The same courage that made you try and use simple salt and sage to rid your house of Xapar.”

His lips trailed down her neck and across her collarbone. He pulled her close as his mouth came down on hers. She tangled her fingers in his inky black hair and pulled him closer, needing to lose herself in his kiss, to forget the demon and the panic attacks and everything else that was happening even if for only a moment.

Damien’s arms wrapped around her. Isobel lost herself in the taste of him, the scent of his skin, and everything else except him faded away.