Cataclysm (45 page)

“But didn’t either of you ever question why you only saw him in your dreams?” Kerrigan asked.

“Ah, that’s part of the illusion. You believe what he wants you to, whether it’s that he’s away on business, or you’re just missing each other, or that he’s dead and in need of a flesh and blood vessel to be reborn,” she said pointedly.

“How did he get us pregnant?” Sinclair’s voice was small compared to her usual self-assured tone.

“When the demon has his victim completely under his spell, he molests her and rapes her will. She becomes his pawn, a tool he uses to gain what he wants most—power. He seeks to impregnate her, spawning demonic minions who will gain him favor in the dark lord’s army. These offspring would have the power to walk the Earth, as he cannot, to do his evil deeds and to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting. They are pivotal to bringing the world as you know it to its knees. Look back into your history, and you will see that there are many who you know possessed these characteristics. They have murdered many, encouraged mass suicides, and incited war. This is what your unborn child was to be, Sinclair. So, you see, you were never truly in love with him. You were a victim... just as I was.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Dominic said.

“How do you mean?”

“I know I’ve done some heinous things, but Colton has never so much as harmed a fly, and despite what I’ve done, I really don’t feel demonic.”

Sarah pursed her lips, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “It’s true. You were forced to commit sins all in the name of protecting your family, our family. I should have been the one to care for you. You should never have been put in that position.”

Availia placed her hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “If I may?” Sarah nodded for her to proceed. “Dominic, part of the reason you did those things was to protect your family. The other part was because of the unclean blood you inherited. Your mind, body, and spirit want to do what’s good because of the pure blood from your mother, but the unclean blood—Drake’s blood—leads you to make the wrong choices.”

She paused, taking in Dominic’s confused expression. “Perhaps it will be easier to comprehend if you know that Sarah is also a Guardian. Not a Guardian of the Light, but a Guardian Angel. By birthright, so are you and your brother. It’s the reason Colton wants to be a doctor,” she said, giving him a proud smile. “And, it’s the reason you’re always so determined to protect and provide for your family. It was the unclean blood that swayed you to do it by less than favorable means.”

Dominic looked stunned and sat down on the nearest headstone.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kerrigan ran her fingers through his hair.

“Yeah, it’s just a lot to take in,” he answered in a breathless voice.

“There’s more,” Availia said. “Sarah, why don’t you tell them how it is you came to be human.”

Sarah took a deep breath. “Well, like Availia said, I’m a Guardian Angel. I remember watching over my charges, but always yearning to have a family of my own. I had gone to the High Council on many occasions and asked to be sent to Earth so that I could be a mother. Being sent to Earth meant I would have to give up everything I was and become completely mortal. I would live and die as a human, and I would have no memory of my time as an angel. The Council denied me every time I asked, and I had all but given up. My last charge was an infant, and I was forced to stand by and do nothing while the natural order of things took place and the child died. He was alone in his crib when he rolled over onto his stomach and suffocated, and I had to watch him take his last breath before I could gather up his soul and move him into Heaven. Before I even went to report in for my next assignment, I begged the Council again to make me mortal. This time, much to my surprise and delight, they agreed.

“It turned out it hadn’t been my persistence that paid off. Rather, it was my destiny, as well as your destiny, Nicky, and Colton’s too. It was the divine blood I transferred to you at birth that kept you from turning into one of Drake’s minions.”

“Why didn’t that divine blood keep you from becoming an alcoholic or getting involved with a demon?” Dominic asked with a hint of acidity. Kerrigan couldn’t blame him for the way he was feeling. He was right. It didn’t make sense.

Sarah ducked her head in shame. “You have every right to be angry with me. I am ashamed of what I became, and I was just as confused. You have to remember that I was human, and as such susceptible to all the vices to which normal human beings fall prey. When my human body died, my soul returned to Heaven and all of my original memories of being a Guardian Angel were restored, but I also still carried my memories from my time as a mortal.

“I remembered that I felt isolated and alone as a human, like there was something much bigger than myself that I was missing. I know now that my soul had never forgotten my time as an angel, even if my mind did. That’s when Drake came to me. He’d heard that an angel had turned mortal—not a fallen angel, but one sent by the High Council. He knew that if he could manage to impregnate me, the result would be the ultimate warrior. The problem was that once we had created the first born, our bloodlines were heavily diluted and the same outcome was not true for the second born.” She looked at Colton. “You are mostly mortal, and for that, I am happy. I’m sure your brother will attest to the burden that he’s had to carry on his shoulders.”

Colton shrugged. “Hey, I’m very happy to be normal.” He looked at Gabe. “Well, mostly normal anyway.”

Sarah looked confused and Gabe stepped forward. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Most Divine Excellency,” he said with a graceful curtsy. “I’m Gabriel Baxter. I believe you have an angel named after me, but anyway, I’ll be taking care of your baby for you now because he takes such good care of me.”

“Thank you,” Sarah said, caught off guard, and then turned back to Dominic. “Your mixed blood is the reason he’s so determined to possess you. Not only will it allow him to walk the Earth, but he can impregnate women much easier, and will have your dual abilities as well.”

Kerrigan stiffened. Her unborn child would be the same result Drake was seeking.

Availia noticed her granddaughter’s distress. “Not to worry, Sunshine. Your child is not the same. Because the demonic bloodline is impure, it is not as powerful. After all, Dominic didn’t turn out so bad, did he?” she asked with a knowing smile. “We’ll just have to have faith. There’s a reason so many entities were charged with protecting not only you, but Dominic as well. The two of you were always meant to come together. It is your destiny, and nothing that results from that destiny can be ill-fated.”

The pieces began to fall into place in Kerrigan’s mind. Her interpretation of Lucy’s vision had been wrong. The Guardians surrounding her were not Guardians from her bloodline. Two that lead the way—Availia and Sarah. One on each side to take the journey with her—Drew and Dominic. Dominic was a Guardian.

“But, Grammy, Dominic is dying. He can’t even materialize now.” Kerrigan was frantic, knowing she had to get some answers before she and Sarah left them. “We thought that once we destroyed Drake he might be whole again, but he’s not.”

“Kerrigan,” Sarah said, drawing her attention. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you haven’t destroyed Drake. In order to bind him to the abyss you must confront him in his world—you have to confront him in a dream.”

“He’ll never go to her dream,” Sinclair said. “I know him better than anyone here. He’s not that stupid. He’s scared of her. That’s why he made me try to sway Drew onto our side, so that we could even the odds.”

Kerrigan was shocked. It actually sounded like Sinclair was on their side. Whether it was just another one of her tricks, she didn’t know, but she was hanging onto Drew like he was her lifeline, so maybe she really was trying to be helpful.

She took a chance. “What would you suggest, Sinclair?”

“Oh, he’s extremely pissed right now, that’s for sure. And he’s going to want revenge. He knows how weak Dominic is, so he’ll go for the kill.” She gestured toward Dominic. “If he goes to sleep, Drake will be there.”

“And then what?” Kerrigan asked.

“Nicky will have to pull you into his dream so that you can bind him once and for all,” Sarah said. “It’s the only way.”

Dominic stood and wrapped his arm around Kerrigan and pulled her into his side. “How do I do that?”

Sarah and Availia looked at each other. “We don’t know the answer to that,” Availia answered. “What we do know is that what is to be will be. You just have to have faith, and the answer will come to you.”

“I’m sorry, Grammy, but that’s not good enough for me. I don’t want to risk losing Dominic.”

“I’ll do it,” Colton said.

“The hell you will!” Dominic yelled. Reflexively, Kerrigan slid her fingers under his collar to manipulate the scar on his shoulder. He calmed down immediately.

“That’s a nifty little trick you have there,” Sarah said with an amused laugh.

Kerrigan looked from Dominic’s shoulder and then back to his mother. “We have identical marks. I don’t know why, but we’re able to affect each other’s emotions by merely touching them.”

“Interesting,” Availia said, clearly mulling that over.

But Dominic wasn’t done. “I’m already dying, Colton. I’m not going to risk the same thing happening to you.”

“Stop playing the martyr. You’ve already sacrificed so much. You need to think about that woman by your side and the gift she’s carrying. You can’t protect them if you don’t make it out alive.”

“If I don’t make it out alive, there’s no protecting them anyway. It’s me he wants, and he knows I’m weak. Besides, he’s got a personal vendetta against me now. The temptation will be too great. He’ll come to me. I have to be the one to do this.”

“I hate to admit it, but I think he’s right, Colt,” Kerrigan said. “He’s more likely to be able to pull me into his dream because of the connection we share. Trust me. I don’t like it any more than you do.”

“So where is Drake now?” Dominic asked.

Availia looked upward. “Oh, he’s adrift somewhere in the dream world, I suppose. He really had no other choice. He’ll gather his strength and then he’ll be back... madder than a whole army of hornets.”

Tyson emerged from the thick fog with Chase in tow, followed by Olivia, Sydney, and Talon dragging the makeshift coven along.

“Thank you very much, Tyson Swail,” Availia said, acknowledging him. “You four are quite the unsung heroes this evening. Bring them to us, please.”

As each of Kerrigan’s friends stepped forward with their catch, Availia gave them personal thanks and then they went to stand behind their captives to ensure they didn’t escape again. The senior Guardian looked toward Sinclair. “You, too, my dear. While I feel that you have learned your lesson, we must be careful that you don’t find yourself in the same predicament again. Binding you will also ensure that Drake will no longer be able to torment you in your dreams.”

Sinclair looked down at the Ring of Truth before handing it back to Drew. “It didn’t warm the entire time I held it, so I believe what you’ve told me.” She stepped forward willingly with her head held high. “If you can keep that bastard demon away from me, I’ll do anything you ask.”

Sarah approached Theo first. She blew into his face, her breath coming out in a white puff littered with tiny sparkles. He closed his eyes, inhaling sharply. “See, Theodore, and do no more harm,” she whispered.

Theo opened his eyes. They were back to his normal brown, no longer glazed over with the milky white film. “I can see,” he said in awe.

As Sarah stepped to the side, Availia took her place. She cupped the back of his neck and said, “I bind you from doing magic, Theodore. May the Light always shine upon you.” Her hand on his neck glowed minutely, and when she pulled it away, a mark was left in its place. It wasn’t the same as Kerrigan and Dominic’s. This one was in the shape of an X.

Sarah blew into Yvette’s face. “Use your intelligence for good, Yvette, and do no more harm,” she whispered, and then Availia took her place again, repeating the same chant and leaving the same mark before she moved down the line after Sarah.

Next was Chase. She pushed his overly long bangs from his eyes and blew into his face. “Get a haircut, young Chase, and do no more harm.”

Then to Greta. “Your beauty will entrance many, but you will do no more harm.”

Sinclair was last, and Sarah gave her a genuine smile. “You have been through so much, sister, but true love has finally found you. Go in peace, and do no more harm.” Sinclair closed her eyes and waited for Sarah to blow into her face, but she didn’t. Instead, she kissed her on the cheek, the spot glowing with angelic light that dimmed and dissipated the moment she pulled back. Sarah smiled at her and stepped aside.

Availia took her place with the Light shining in her eyes. She placed her hand on the back of Sinclair’s neck. “I bind you from doing magic, Sinclair. May the Light always shine upon you. And, please... call your grandmother, child. When you do, tell her I said not to worry. All is well.” She winked, and then her hand lit up to leave its mark. When she removed it, Drew looked behind her to see it.

Surprised, he took her by the shoulders and turned her around. “Drew! What’s wrong with you?” she asked, laughing.

“It’s... it’s identical to my mark,” he said, still staring at her neck. It was shaped like a crescent moon as well.