Love Beyond Expectations (15 page)

"Sure," Leonardo interrupted them, entering the room. "There is room enough in this place for all of us to have our own wings, sort of. In any case, it's a collection of rooms."

"Then point me in a direction where I can find mine. I need to get clean, wash the stink of the past two days off me, and then I want to get on board with how we're going to kick that son of a bitch's ass."

Ruby smiled, watching them walk out of the room together. Christophe shook his head. "He's been trying to make me feel guilty since he popped into my living room. It's not my fault. It's not like I had anything to do with where we landed."

"No." She took his hand. "But that's not what he's doing. He's uncomfortable. Easier to make fun of you."

"I can't deal with this right now."

Ruby got the impression Outsider men didn't do emotions very well, other than with their soul mates. She'd leave them alone to be men about it. Or whatever it was that they did.

"Finish searching the house?"

He nodded. "Sebastian hunting. Then we go get your cane. This all has to come to an end."

She loved him. They were entirely on the same wavelength. First the preacher. Then the demon.

Chapter Twelve

Drew stared at Marina. The woman had never been so silent or so still. Marina was a ball of energy, all the time. To see her like this and to know she didn't remain that way because she'd fallen asleep made him want to turn around and pound on the wall. That wouldn't be the first time he'd destroyed property over the woman. This time, however, fear would be motivating him, not frustration.

He stood up. Jason had taken care of his physical pain, and already he could tell from the ease in his mind that Charma had gone to work on the emotional element. Not that he wanted her help. Pain usually deserved to be felt.

"Marina." He took her hand and squeezed her fingers. This was the first time he'd ever willingly made physical contact between the two of them. Truth was, he'd become the worst kind of coward. Running and hiding from her instead of telling her the truth: that he'd never be worthy of her because of the stain marring his soul.

"Open your eyes, gorgeous." He sat back in his seat. "Let me see your dark eyes. Be angry with me. Call me names."

She didn't move. He stood up. It had been a magical explosion. That much had been obvious. He'd been thrown so far he hadn't even known where he landed. Not that he'd stayed conscious very long. Then who knew what had happened to get him to Sebastian?

Marina must have taken the brunt of the force. Her body couldn't process so much magic that had landed squarely on her shoulders.

If they'd actually gotten together then he could have touched her dreams, could have roused her. He shook his head. No use in bringing that up. If he'd bonded with her, then she'd be touched by his evil. She'd always been too good for that.

"Marina." His voice shook, and he ran an unsteady hand through his hair. "Please wake up." She didn't budge.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you. All the reasons why we can't be together." He took a deep breath. He'd wanted to tell her for so long. To finally be given the chance to do it might actually feel good. Or maybe it would turn him into a catatonic mess.

Drew opened his mouth to speak, and Marina's eyes flew open. She blinked rapidly, and then her eyes focused on him.

His heart fell into his stomach. "Marina. I'm so relieved. I mean, we all are. You can't know how worried we've all been."

She stared at him, no readable expression on her face. "Who are you?"

"What?" Her words didn't make any sense.

"I asked who you are." She jolted upward in the bed. "And for that matter, who am I? Where am I? What's going on? Have I been hurt?"

"Okay." He stood up. "Calm down."

Drew had the gift of telepathy. He'd gotten that half of Isabelle's abilities. "
Get Charma and Jason in here right now
."

Hopefully, the other woman would do what he asked. He was in no way equipped to know what had happened to Marina.

She hyperventilated. "How can I not know who I am?"

"Honey." He rubbed her back. "This is going to be okay. You're going to be fine. This is temporary. I'm sure. There are people who can fix this. They're coming right now."

"How can they fix it? What? They have some kind of drug or something?" Her already pale cheeks whitened even further.

"Listen to me. You're going to be okay." He pulled her against him. The no contact rule had to go out the window. She needed him. Maybe for the first time ever.

Charma and Jason charged into the room followed by Isabelle, Kal, and Leonardo. Jason immediately went to Marina's side. His long blond hair, kept neatly in a ponytail, swayed behind him as he ran.

"Tell me what's happening." Jason knelt down next to the bed.

"She has no idea who I am or who she is." Saying it aloud made Drew's stomach tighten. The more minutes that passed, the more he feared this wasn't a temporary glitch. "You can fix this, Dr Jason?"

Their resident healer didn't utter a word. That didn't concern Drew that much. When the doctor fell silent, it just meant that he worked.

Jason shook his head. "Nothing physical. Charma?"

The blond healer's soul mate stepped forward. "On it."

Charma closed her eyes. The two of them together were like a study in who could look more angelic. He could be blinded by their blondness.

Her eyes flew open. "They're all gone."

"What?" Drew moved to stand next to her. "Explain what that means." Someone had to start telling him something.

"Her memories are all missing. It's like they were picked up and removed."

Marina shook. "Are you in my head? How did you do that? Stop it. I don't like it. People can't do that."

"Her powers are missing too." Charma shook her head. "I have no idea how this could have happened. Everything I've studied, everything I know… I've never heard of such a thing."

Drew's heart pounded hard against his ribs. "So what are you saying?"

"Right now, as she is, she's memory-less and human."

"Oh, Marina." He looked at his shaking love, who now had no idea who he was. "I've done it again. I've failed you."

This time, they would all suffer for it.

Maybe eternally.

* * * *

Alexa stood staring at the island in the distance. Or at least she assumed the island she needed to go to was somewhere out there. Apparently, she had to hire a boat, and no captain in his or her right mind would even think about taking a trip out there today. Leave it to the cult to have an island no one could get to.

Of course, if it was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be so damn important.

A woman walked up to stand next to her. Alexa jolted, unsure of what to make of the stranger so close to her. Her short black hair glistened with the small raindrops drizzling down on her head. Unlike Alexa, who had worn appropriate clothing for the weather, the woman next to her wore a pink T-shirt and a short black skirt.

Did the stranger not feel the cold?

"Are you trying to go there?" She spoke with a foreign accent Alexa couldn't place. Maybe Eastern European? Alexa hadn't been enough places to really tell these things. Travel would come after justice was done.

Having a real life would come then.

"Are you going to answer me?"

Alexa smiled, trying to do her best impression of the Southern belle she had very briefly been. "I do apologize. I'm afraid I'm lost in my own thoughts. I'm told that I can't get out there right now. At least for a few days. But, yes, I hope to get there eventually."

The woman nodded. "Yes. The weather is bad. Consistently bad right there. Even when it's clear here." She pointed to Portland. "The weather over there"—the woman motioned over the island—"is always bad. Why do you think that is?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea." She shrugged like she didn't care. However, the woman's words didn't surprise her in the least. A magical cult would of course know how to rig the weather to keep people out.

"Right." The woman stuck out her hand. "I'm Raquel. I'm going to be staying here in town for a while. If you need anything, come and find me. I'd like to see what's on that island, too."

"No." Alexa shook her head, and the dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I appreciate the offer. I do. But, you don't want to go over there. Not ever. Those people are…not good souls."

"Then maybe I'll fit right in." She looked Alexa up and down. "And so will you."

Her words burned Alexa. Was the taint on her soul so obvious? Had her lack of confidence in Sebastian become a visible mark people could actually see?

"I'm trying to be a better person."

Raquel threw her hands in the air. "Let me know how that goes for you, Alexa."

Raquel turned on her heel and walked away.
Wait
. Alexa had never told the other woman her name. How did she know it?

"Hey."

She called after her, but Raquel had rounded the corner away from the docks. Although her shoes were not made for running, she sped up her steps to catch wherever the really creepy stranger had gone. But when she reached the top of the street, Raquel had vanished. "Oh. What the hell?"

The wind blew her hair, and she shuddered. Shouldn't it be warmer? New Orleans was getting downright balmy. But maybe it was all the cult's fault. Perhaps after she destroyed them, things around the area would warm up.

In the meantime, if she couldn't get onto the island right that second, see Gabriel, and begin her plan then she had to get lodging. A hotel room with a hot bath and a pay-per-view movie.

Her mouth watered, and she tried to push away the feeling. It wasn't food she wanted, and there was no way on earth she was going to start drinking blood. She'd rather die.

* * * *

Gia swept under one last table. After she finished this, she'd be done for the night. Then she could go upstairs, put her feet up, and wait for her roommate to come back from whatever he'd done with his day. She didn't want to ask. There were laws. If he ever got arrested, she'd really like to be able to say she had no idea where he went day to day.

Truth was, she loved having Zane around. For the first time ever, she could take a deep breath and not worry that someone might discover her secrets. Zane knew them, he shared them.

If only she could just love him. But apparently, he wasn't her soul mate.

"Because that would be too fucking easy." She shook her head, returning the broom back to the closet where they kept it.

A cool breeze traveled up her back, and she shuddered.
Like someone walked on her grave.

All day she'd had those kind of thoughts. It was like someone harmed her, but every time she tried to identify where her malaise came from, she couldn't put her finger on the cause. She shook her head. Most likely it would turn out to be nothing. Just a little spooky mumbo jumbo traveling through her mind. Her mother would have said it was hormones.

Not that she really felt like she ever had any. Considering she had no sex drive.

She turned off the lights and headed upstairs. About halfway up the stairs, she ran. With no understanding of why, she busted through her door like the devil himself chased her. Her mind immediately went to the demon that she had to battle.
Perhaps someone from hell was chasing her.

The door took forever to open. She got inside, closed it behind her, and locked it. Her heart beat so fast she feared she might pass out. Sinking to her knees, she tried and failed to control her breathing.

"Gia?" Zane walked out of the back. He must have been shaving, there were bits of cream on his neck that he'd missed.

"Zane." She pounded on the floor. Somehow she had to calm down.

"What are you doing?" He walked toward her, kneeling down. "What's the matter?"

"I ran." She panted but could feel herself calming with his presence.

"Yes? Why?" He looked up at the door. "Is someone out there?"

"No." She stood up, feeling shaky but okay. Gia wasn't alone. Zane had her back. If she knew anything, it was that Outsiders were clearly not supposed to be alone. Even if she wasn't with her other half, it felt so much better to have another one of her people with her.

"Then why…?"

Foolishness swept through her, making her cheeks heat up. "I don't know. I guess I just got scared. I can't really explain it. Doesn't that ever happen to you?" She waved her hand to wipe away the question. "Forget it. I can already tell it doesn't."

"I have been afraid." He sat down on the floor next to her and wiped away the stray shaving cream.

"Yeah?" She rubbed at her eyes, suddenly exhausted. "When would that have been?"

"I grew up in some pretty rough places, but nothing was as bad as this one time in New York City. It wasn't the Big Apple of now. Back then, things could be really rough on the streets. I'd run away from a foster home. Who needed that crap? Anyway, I saw some things that night that I now think had to do with the demon."

She rubbed her nose. "What did you think they were at the time?"

"Really fucked up drug addicts." He shrugged. "I'd taken some stuff myself. I'm not proud of that. But, I was in a pretty desperate state."

"Right. Drugs don't work on us like that. It's even hard to get drunk."

"Yeah. Well, I didn't know that." He stood up. "So I thought I was seeing things because I was fucked up. Now, I know I'm an Outsider, which means the fact that two guys were walking around ripping out the hearts of other people in a club probably happened. In real life. Not just in my imagination. I was pretty terrified."

"You saw hearts ripped out?" She shuddered. "Yes, that would be pretty scary."

"Why don't you go relax? Take a bath. I'll cook dinner."

"You cook?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

"All right. I don't cook. But tomorrow I'll order in for us."

"It's a deal."

Yeah, she really, really liked having a roommate.

* * * *