Catalyst (33 page)

             
Merric
k
blurred himself back to me and Danny
,
and put an arm around me as he stood half in front of me.
The prot
ectiveness coming off him was as
tangible as the malice coming off the two Lighters. I gripped and rubbed his arm to tell him to calm down.

             
I am so tired of having to protect you
, Sherry.

             
I gulped and nodded. Of course, that sucked. I always seemed to be in trouble or someone did. It was all we could do be safe anymore-

             
He lifted my face and shook his head. "Really? That's the conclusion you jump to?"

             
"I didn't say anything."

             
"But I could see it on your face. I didn't mean it like that. I meant, I'm tired of
having
to protect you because there always seems to be a reason to. We can't ever have a moment
'
s peace and I don't want this life for you. I will always protect you with a willing and open heart. Don't ever think otherwise." I nodded and even though we were in the middle of the yard with Lighters and everyone else, he kissed me
hard and deep
to make sure I absolutely understood him.

             
G
ah
, I loved him.

             
"
Now," he started and turned back to the threat, "stay behind me the entire time, Sherry Elizabeth, or you
will
be in trouble."

             
I snickered at his back. He was such a guy. But then the Lighter's
rant
reached all our ears, even though he was speaking normally. Freaky like that.

             
"I will ram this…" he glanced at the object in Lillian's back, "human tool through her lungs and end her
life in a second if anyone tries
anything funny."

             
Where the heck was Daniel? Where
were
Ryan and Max? If I didn't know better, it looked like they bailed. The Lighters they were fighting were right here
in front of us now
and they hadn't come out with everyone else.

             
"
What do you want?" Merrick asked.

             
"I want you to wait for back-up to arrive. When they come, we'll take you all into custody and you'll be processed through the enforcement facility. Well, not all of you," he said eying Merrick with distain. "The world has no use for Keepers, so I think we'll just dispose of you here."

             
"That won't happen," I almost growled and then realized I'd once again said it out loud. I peeked and saw that I had in fact said it out loud as the Lighter laughed, his black soulless eyes glowing with humor.

             
"Feisty," he muttered. "I like that. Maybe I'll keep you for myself."

             
Merrick jerked and
growled at him, making the Lighter laugh harder.

             
"And, now I've found the one that you're attached to. So gullible! I know exactly who to use against you."

             
Merrick's arm tightened on me a little. I stayed quiet and so did he. What was the use of with fighting
wits
with Lighters?

             
Then a thought hit me. Lily…she could heal. I'd almost forgotten. I hated to think of using her that way. It hurt my chest to even conceive it
,
but we may not have another choice. I glanced over my family and saw them all sullen and defeated looking. Even sick Racine was he
re. The only ones missing were L
ily, Piper and Polly.

             
I threw my gaze to Danny and gave him a look. A look that said 'What the hec
k are just standing there for. C
ompel them
,
idiot.'

             
He got an 'Oh yeah'
look causing me to roll my eyes and watch it all unfold. The one with the stake to Lillian's back suddenly
tossed the thing behind him
. A screwdriver. Lillian got the hint as the Lighter looked around for the source of the trickery; she ran. He chased, but
Merrick was faster. He blurred from me to the Lighter like a shot and as they collide
d
, sand and snow
kicked up all around them. Racine jumped into the fray too, though Josh yelled at her to stop. T
he other Lighter looked panicked.

             
Panicky Lighters was a new s
ight for me. They were usually s
o c
a
l
m and cold.

             
He held on tight to Ellie and
dragged her backwards. When she tripped and fell he continued to drag her backwards by her hair and shirt collar. I searched for what to do
,
but saw out of the corner of my eye
,
Danny. He ste
pped forward and looked at the L
ighter. He concentrated hard and then grimaced before settling on a frown. The Lighter though, grinned. He looked down at Ellie and then back up to Danny. He pulled her up and hugged her to him, almost like she was important and precious.

             
Danny's mouth opened and he breathed faster. Celeste tried to come and help
,
but he pushed her back behind him. Danny was acting pretty strange and Celeste hadn't jacked him for pushing her around? What in the world?

             
"You know, don't you?" the Lighter asked Danny. "You know what this means?
What she is?
"

             
I was clueless, but Danny didn't seem to be. The Lighter started to back further away, Ellie whimpering in his arms. Danny bolted forward a bit and yelled to someone, "Don't let him leave with her!"

             
It was almost dark
, but as I glanced up I
saw that
Daniel, Ryan and Max were descending upon the Lighter from the roof in a falling glide. There was a burst of lightning off to the side so I knew that Merrick
and Racine had taken their
Lighter out in the snow
bowl.

             
I glanced back to see Daniel wrench Ellie from the Lighter's grasp, tossing her behind him as he went for the demon. Ryan
blurred and grabbed her up, crushing
her to him. She clung to him and cried as they stood and held on to each other for dear life.

             
Daniel and the Lighter didn't last long together. Daniel had the Lighter on the ground and was looking for something to stake him with. He yelled for Merrick to throw him his stake as Max looked for one too.

             
I screamed as I saw it
,
but I was too late to help. The Lighter on the ground had reached under him. With the screwdriver in his hand and a whip of his inhuman wrist he sliced it through the air at Ellie. Her eyes bulged
,
but she didn't make a sound as the screwdriver sunk into her back.

Stabbed in the back

Chapter 26
- Merrick

             
Ryan's
eyes grew with unbelief as Ellie
fell on him. He helped her to the gr
ound and held her in his lap,
the realization of what happened hit him.

             
I watched
,
anguished
for him,
as he roared into the air his
anger and hatred for the demon
, who just smiled in triumph with his bloody lip.

             
"If I can't have her, no one can," he said quietly, but once again
it reached all ears. As I
tossed Daniel
my
st
ake he
plunged it into the Lighter's chest and leaned back to avoid the light
n
ing that blared through the sky.

             
"We need to get these people inside," he barked
as he grabbed Lillian's a
rm and started to tow her
. "The Markers will have seen that and they'll come
for you
all
."

             
"Wait," Sherry
said, "one of them said there was back-up coming. What if there's more on the way?"

             
"There is
more on the way," he concurred, "b
ut that can't be helped. We'll be waiting for them and take t
hem out. We'll be ready
. Inside now."

             
Ryan held a broken and bleeding
,
but still alive
Ellie in his arms as I
helped him stand. Keepers didn't need help
physically. He could have lifted Ellie as if she were nothing, but he was in shock. Sherry put her
arm around his lower back and urged him inside with me with human murmurs and words of encouragement and hope. We could take her to the room in the back and see what the damage was.

             
I really hoped she was ok, for her sake
,
but also for Ryan's. He had been on a fine line of depression and melancholy before Ellie came.
His mind had been a tangled weave of desperation to be useful, to be
needed and his
want to go home. He and Simon
both had thoughts flitting through their heads about it constantly. Though Simon's were bitter, Ryan's were longing.

             
As we
all piled inside the bunker
door,
a snow dusted
Miguel took over the Ellie situation and I was grateful
to him for it
.

             
"Bring her in the back. I'll check her out there," he told Ryan, who zombied his way where Miguel led.

             
I pulled S
herry along with me, refusing to let her out of my sight for a moment. We'd have to have another talk later. As much as I needed to do these things and be away, I couldn't leave h
er anymore. This wasn't working
. The old 'You're safer with me rule' needed to go back into effect.

             
"Where's Lily?"

             
"Here." S
he went to
the
small closet and right there still sleeping in the floor was Lily, with her doll and hair a cute mess.
I sagged in relief.
She had slept through the whole thing, thank God. I pulled Sherry down to sit on my lap as I sat on the floor next to the closet. I needed to be near my girls right then.

             
"What happened? Why are you back early? Not that I'm complaining," Sherry aske
d. I glanced over and
saw Ryan place Ellie down
on her side and si
t next to her, stroking her hair.

             
"We had an accident," I told her gently and watched her predictable face fall in upset. "It's ok, we're fine, but…anyway, we decided to come home after we found the pastor and his daughter."

             
"I thought that was him,
" she mused and inched forward a little. I bent
to accommodate her. "I'm so glad you're ok. Thank you f
or bringing Danny back safely."
I must've made a face because she
knew right off that something had happened. "What? Please just tell me and don't make me beg it out of you. Did something happen with Danny?"

             
There was no way I was telling her that I not only did I almost lose her brother, but Celeste too. I looked to see Miguel working on Elli
e
, knowing there was nothing we could do there. So I did what I always did to distract her. I kissed her good and hard. Such a hardship, I know.

             
She resisted for a split second with a small push to my shoulder
,
but easily relented and melted against me. The little noises she made, small g
runts and sighs of relief and satisfaction
almost did me in, as always. I was a drowning man and Sherry was the shore. She was the moonlight and I, a shadow in her glow.
I was a fish that enjoyed the pain of her hook. She was my everything.