The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (12 page)

Chapter 10: Miraculous Recovery

THE SOUND OF RAISED VOICES woke me as the sun was coming up. It took a minute to remember where I was. I was lying on the floor where I had finally passed out the night before. Sean was still asleep. I watched his chest rise and fall and gave a silent thank you. Was it my imagination or did his skin look better? The wound was smaller now and less raw. How is that possible? I was about to reach out to touch him when a rude voice startled me.

“What do you think you’re doing? Don’t touch him. Are you crazy?” Killian was livid in the doorway. Dec was standing behind him, looking apologetic.

I jumped up and moved over to stand in front of him. “Shh, don’t come in here yelling at me! I’m not going to hurt him, you idiot!”

I shoved my palm against his chest and got shocked. It threw me off balance, but I didn’t fall. I shook my hand and glared at him. Him too? I needed to wear rubber shoes.

He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. “You still haven’t learned, have you? He doesn’t need you to nurse him back to health. He’ll be fine in a day or two.”

Was he crazy? “He’s hurt, Killian! Surely you can see that? He should be in a hospital, not in this house. My God, I think he’s in a coma. He hasn’t moved in 12 hours. He must be in awful pain.”

He actually barked a short laugh. “You don’t know anything about him, babe. He’s not dying. He’s just healing. It takes time to recover from a wound like that. He’s not moving because he’s conserving all of his energy to focus it on the place he’s injured.”

“He’s not dying?” I looked wildly at Dec.
I promised Sean I’d find you and bring you to him. He’s been… shot.
He never said he was
dying
. I jumped to that conclusion on my own. I also spent the night crying and begging God to save him. I felt stupid. I hate feeling stupid.

Killian stood with his arms folded looking so smug that I wanted to punch him in the face. Instead, I whirled around to confront Dec who promptly threw up his hands in surrender with a devastating flash of dimples. It was really hard to stay mad at him. I heaved a loud sigh and stalked to the window. Damn him for being so adorable. I wanted to be pissed at someone. Dec loped over and wrapped me in a full body hug. The familiar strange energy flowed into me, slowing my racing heart, scattering my angry thoughts.

I stomped on his foot. “Stop that!”

He dropped me like a hot potato. “Ouch! That’s just mean. I’m trying to help.”

“Really? News flash. Knocking me out isn’t helpful. You could help by explaining what happened to Sean, and what kind of bio-engineering miracles you guys are.”

Killian asked, “Bio-what? What are you talking about?” His brows were knit with genuine confusion.

“Your parents haven’t been messing with your DNA or teaching you to use previously-untapped portions of your brains? Maybe you’ve learned to use undiscovered psychic abilities, aura control, telekinesis, something like that? Come on, it makes sense.”

“Parents?” He pinned Dec with a hard stare. “Dec? What the hell is she yapping about?”

Flushing pink, Dec replied, “Yeah, it’s okay; she knows about our parents, and their work in
Switzerland
.”

“Oh? Which one of you told her? You know it was supposed to be a secret!
Dad’s
going to kill us.”

“It’s okay, Killian. I won’t tell anyone about your cover. Believe it or not, I don’t want to see any of you get hurt--not even you.”

He looked strangely amused by that. “Well, that’s a relief. Thanks.”

A movement caught his eye, and he glanced over at the bed. Dec and I whirled to look too. I’ve never been so glad to see something as I was to see Sean’s blue eyes open and shining. I ran over and gushed over him. He was alive and looked almost healthy. I was so relieved that I started crying again. It was just too much emotion and too little sleep. I lost it. I just sat there with my head lowered, tears running down my face like a river. Shushing me gently, Dec picked me up and laid me next to Sean. I curled up against Sean’s side and cried some more. Dec and Killian left us alone.

The touch of fingers stroking my face brought me out of the deep sleep I had fallen into. The fingers were light and warm against my flushed skin, and I tingled everywhere they traveled. The pain of my crying jag gradually vanished as if someone wiped it away. It felt so good that I didn’t want to open my eyes and ruin the moment, so I pretended to sleep some more. What would he do? In response to my unasked question, he traced the shape of my face, trailing his fingers down my neck to my exposed collarbone. The warmth spread everywhere he touched me, and my next thoughts were something like, I wonder what it would feel like if we got naked and…

Whew! I blushed hotly and opened my eyes to find his face only inches away, his eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter. I blushed even more, and he burst out laughing.

“Don’t laugh! You’ll hurt yourself!”

“I’m okay, darlin’. It’ll take more than that to take me out. I’m feeling a lot better now. Look.” He pointed at his stomach. The scorch marks were gone, and the area was just red. It looked
a lot
better. The skin around it was healthy looking with the beautiful golden tan he always had. Glancing further down, it seemed like his whole body was that color. But how did he heal so fast? Another minor miracle? What was up with these guys? If not bio-engineering, then where did they get these abilities?

He shifted his position, forcing my mind back to the bed. He was completely naked under that sheet. I had been draped over him during my embarrassing crying jag and didn’t even realize what I was doing. I snuck a peek at him now and was a little disappointed that he was covered up. My whole body blushed, and I was sure I would set us both on fire with it. Sean responded by pulling me next to him so he could curl up around my back with his arms wrapped around me.

“Mica, I’m so sorry you’ve had to see me like this. You’ve got a heart like a warrior, and I am so proud of you. You’ve dealt with so much pain of your own this year, and you’ve found your strength. But when I was… asleep, I sensed your fear for me. I don’t want to ever be the cause of your pain.” He ran his hand down my arm and entwined our fingers. “I know you have a million questions, but for now, I want to share something with you. Will you let me give you peace? It won’t hurt, I promise. Trust me?”

“With my life.”

I was admiring his hands when I noticed the tips of his fingers begin to glow very softly. I gasped, and he hushed me.

“Just be still. You’ll like this.”

As I gazed in amazement, the faint light spread from his fingers into mine. The glow radiated up his hand, enveloping mine. I was speechless as it traveled from his hands up and across every inch of our bodies until we were completely cocooned within the soft light and gentle heat. My body tingled as the radiance surrounded me. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, but strangely relaxing. I surrendered to the pulsing energy, feeling my muscles relax and go liquid around my bones. My bones felt hollow and light as if I could float away. My skin was warm and tingling; my senses heightened until I felt my blood surging through my veins and arteries. A sense of power and strength infused me so I could fly or run for miles. It was intoxicating!

That’s it. Just relax, and let it take you.
Sean’s voice seemed to purr inside my mind.

I’m floating away… I thought to myself.

Let yourself go. I’ve got you anchored. It’s okay.

I want to fly… No, not fly… I want to sink deeper into you… I want to be surrounded by you inside and out. I want to feel you inside of me.

Oh baby, you’re killing me...

And with that thought, Sean leaped off the bed to stand horrified in the middle of the room. The abruptness of our separation left me blinking like an owl in the sudden light.

“No! It’s not possible! No way!” He was pacing and running his fingers through his hair. “This is crazy.”

“What on earth is the matter with you?” My skin was tingling like when the blood runs back into your foot after it falls asleep. Ouch. I shook out my arms and legs while watching him out of one eye.
Clearly
there was something wrong. His horrified expression was almost funny.

As though he suddenly remembered I was there, he whipped around, asking, “Did you hear? Did you feel it? The connection? I didn’t know that could happen. This is not good!”

“All I felt was very turned on. I think we should do that again. Things were just getting interesting.” I gave my best sexy smile and patted the bed.

His expression went from concentration to horror again. “Absolutely not. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

I thrust my lip into a pout, trying to look seductive to distract him, and he fell for it. Sort of. He stopped frowning at me. Of course, that may also have been the moment he realized he wasn’t wearing the sheet…

Chapter 11: The Truth is Out There

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND?” Killian’s sharp question drew me up short just outside the kitchen. Uh-oh. He was totally pissed. I slid against the wall. What happened?

“Oh, back off! How was I supposed to know that would happen? It’s not like I’ve done it before!” Sean was edgy, and I heard him shove one of the wooden chairs back with a screech.

I hovered in the hallway for a few seconds struggling with the urge to turn around, and the urge to eat. My stomach growled loudly so I gave in to the primal urge for food. I peeked into the room. I spotted Killian first and nearly smiled. He sat with a glass of orange juice and alternated between glaring at it and shaking his head at Sean. Sean, on the other hand, was completely shut down. He didn’t touch his food and stared without seeing. I didn’t know what to make of either of them.

Dec, as usual, grinned crookedly when I finally bounced into the room. I felt better than I had in years. My blood was still singing from whatever we did, and I couldn’t help noticing how my skin glowed. I looked so damn healthy! My skin was clear and soft and hydrated. My hair was glossy and heavy. Even my nails were pretty. I looked like I spent the day at a spa and downed a bunch of vitamins. The oddest thing was the intense clarity inside my mind. Suddenly I could
see
everything more clearly. Fuzzy impressions were sharp. I could finally define my own feelings, and I had no doubts. I just
knew
… what I knew, exactly, wasn’t clear though. It was like knowing all the answers but not having the questions yet. I was buoyant, relishing this new feeling. Very cool… I bounced into a seat, practically vibrating with energy. Maybe I should go run 10 miles or so!

“So, uh, darlin’, how’re you feeling just now?” Dec’s accent was more pronounced than ever. He was watching me like I might explode.

I threw him a huge grin and drummed my fingers on the table. “I feel fabulous! I’ve never felt so alive.” I leaned halfway over the table to see him better. “Do you have
any
idea how gorgeous your eyes are?” Barely able to sit still, I swept my eyes across the three of them. “Wow… your eyes… so many colors!” I was suddenly at a loss for words. I’d never seen such beauty.

Killian swore viciously and stood up so fast his chair fell over. With two strides, he pulled me out of my seat. We were so close, I felt his heart beat against my chest and resisted the urge to step back. Instead of being angry, he seemed hesitant. He finally picked me up by the arms so we were eye to eye.

“Something has changed in you. I feel it.” We were nose to nose, and he looked deeply into my eyes as if he was trying to read my mind or maybe my soul. Finally satisfied, he said, “This is very important, Mica. You could be dangerous to all of us, so take this seriously. Tell me what you
feel
.” The order was soft, but his velvety voice sent a tingle of fear down my spine.

“I don’t know how to describe it, exactly. It’s like suddenly everything is clear to me. I
know
things, but I can’t define them yet. Like the questions are just out of reach. The answers are here.” I tapped my temple and met his eyes again. I wanted to say more, but his eyes pulled me under. I could see every tiny detail of the iris. Usually a person’s eyes just look blue, or green, or brown. His eyes were made up of every shade of blue imaginable, and I could clearly see each color now. Each color was distinctly shaped, like a piece of a puzzle. They were breathtaking.

“So beautiful…” I was speechless.

Killian grunted, and said, “Never mind that. Look into my eyes and tell me what you see.”

At first I only saw the beautiful colors, but the more I studied them, the more I realized I could understand him. The puzzle pieces parted to reveal more. Not his individual thoughts exactly, but the core of who he is. What was I seeing? Was this intuition, or was I actually seeing into his soul, the essential part of who Killian is?

He made an encouraging sound and ran his thumb along my bicep. “Open your mind.”

I was bombarded with impressions that made my head swim. Words and images flooded my mind. They whirled around like a pinwheel: fierce, righteous, strong, loyal, guardian, warrior. The images played like a movie set in fast forward: A faded red door opened, and he was beating the hell out of a big man with a gun. The man fell and stayed down. Next to him was a wounded man lying in the street. I knew this man was a good guy, a victim. Killian carefully lifted him, and the scene changed. Now I saw him as a strong and righteous protector, his face glowing with victory. My heart clenched as another image showed Sean hit with a ball of fire and falling backwards into nothingness. Killian’s face was frightening as he picked up Sean. I saw him bent over a small body in a rain-filled wood. The scene faded into a room full of men gathered around a table. It was obvious he led the others, and I saw respect in their eyes. He was the leader. It was clear that he had a mission, and it was more important than I knew before. The last image was more impression than scene; I saw him as he sees himself, his identity I suppose: Primani.

“Primani…” I murmured aloud.

As that final impression ricocheted around my head, several things happened at once. Killian wrenched his eyes away and set me back down. He was white as a sheet and staggered backward. I collapsed in a heap on the floor, my legs like jelly and my thoughts careening around my head like a pinball machine. I babbled incoherently, words refusing to form. Sean launched himself at me, dragging me hard against his chest. The kitchen swam sickeningly until it turned onto its side. I barely made it to the sink before I threw up. I stood there gripping the counter, trying to get my head and stomach back under control. My legs still didn’t want to hold me up, and I sank to my knees with a groan.

Dec placed his hands on either side of my head and rested his lips against my forehead. “Breathe now. In and out… in and out, carefully, sweetheart.” His voice was soothing and compelling. I took a careful breath and followed his voice like an angel.

“That’s it. In and out… in and out. Listen to me. Follow my voice.”

Gradually, the pinball feeling lessoned and went away entirely. My head felt normal again. I sagged weakly against him.

“It gets easier. You’ll see.” Dec was ever the optimist.

The room was completely silent for a few minutes. Having been lost in my own thoughts, I realized all three of them were staring at me.

“Stop staring at me! It’s creepy.”

Everyone laughed, and the tension was gone. I looked at Sean and raised an eyebrow. “Can you walk okay? I need some fresh air, and I think it’s time for some answers.”

I might have been up for answers, but I wasn’t really ready to walk. I staggered forward so Sean scooped me up and carried me. When I protested, he just laughed and said it was easier this way. Who was I to argue? We headed into the woods behind their house. The trees had turned in the miracle of fall; the red and yellows were impressive. It was quiet and peaceful as we wandered. The tinkling sound of water got louder as we rounded a stray boulder. Sean pointed to the little creek below us. He sat me down so we could pick our way down the little incline to the rocks of the streambed. There were several large flat boulders lying around so we hopped over to one and sat down. It was comfortable and private. I assumed Sean was gathering his thoughts as I was my own. This was his secret to tell, and I wasn’t going to rush him. My new sense of clarity made me realize I was a part of this too so I would get all the answers I needed, when I needed them. I’d like them all now, thank you very much.

Sean took my hand in his. ”Do you know this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done? I don’t know where to start. Why don’t you tell me what you’d like to know? Maybe that will be easier?”

“Okay, what’s the force field for?”

He grinned. “It’s not a force field; it’s just energy. We call it our
saol
. It means life. For us, it’s our life force. But in simple terms, it’s just energy. There is energy everywhere, right? We’ve learned how take the energy and focus it when we need to. We rely on it to re-charge when we’re exhausted or injured. It helps us to heal faster.”

“There’s more to it than that. I know it. It’s not just pulling energy to you; your bodies create it, or maybe, it’s already inside of you. If you’re going to tell me the truth, tell me the truth. If you can’t tell me something, don’t make up a story. That’s not cool. I can handle secrets because you have a right to those; I can’t handle lies.”

He ran his hand through his hair, groping for words. “Do you remember me telling you that we’re like operatives, and you asked if that meant “spies”?” I nodded. He continued, “Well, that’s more or less what we do. We don’t spy though; we watch. We have two jobs to do. We’re here to make sure certain things happen that have an impact on future events. We help people stay on their paths so they fulfill their destiny.”

“Like guardian angels?”

He smiled, and said, “Not exactly, no. It’s really complicated, and I can’t share a lot of it with you. But I can say that we don’t interfere unless it’s vitally important.”

“Stand up and turn around.”

He looked surprised but did as I asked. Before I lost my nerve, I yanked up his shirt. He sucked in his breath as the cold air struck him. I was afraid to look, but when I opened my eyes to look at him, all I saw was smooth skin that was the color of warm honey. I inhaled the warm scent and kissed him softly between his shoulder blades.

“Well, did I pass?” he asked with a playful grin.

“No wings?”

“No wings. Are you disappointed?”

“Not really, I think they would get in the way. Now, tell me about your second job?”

“That’s a good question, and I hope you’ll still be here after you hear the answer to it.” He paused to take a deep breath. “Mica, you need to understand we’re a lot less like
angels
and a lot more like
soldiers
. We don’t have wings and harps and other useless human inventions. We’re part of an elite force of highly trained, lethal soldiers. We’re assigned to a special operations division with a very unique mission. You’ve only met Killian and Dec. There are others who are a lot less, uh, friendly. We’re serious about what we do and secrecy is absolutely critical. We don’t have a lot of time for typical human activities. Our main job is to hunt down and destroy certain, uh, bad people…more killing, less fluff.”

I considered that, and asked hesitantly, “What do you call yourselves?”

He looked relieved by the simple question. “Primani, we’re called Primani--Soldiers of the First Legion.”

I considered his serious, beautiful face. He was a contradiction. When he was with me like this, he was sweet and gentle. When he was in soldier-mode, he was fierce and hard and deadly. I was more than a little afraid of the soldier in him and shivered.

“Don’t! Please don’t ever be afraid of me. I would never hurt you; you have to know that by now.” He reached out, cupping my face in his hands, eyes searching mine until he found the answer. The little golden light in his eyes flashed brilliantly as the truth hit him. He kissed me with yearning and tenderness. I clung to his shoulders to keep from falling. His hands were everywhere, and I felt a rush of heat as he cupped my breast against his palm. He dragged his mouth away and lowered it to my bare collarbone, spreading kisses along my goose pimpled skin. With the other hand, he pulled the zipper of my sweatshirt down. I was bare underneath it. He pulled his eyes back to mine. I searched his eyes, but his mind was closed to me.

“What are you thinking?” I whispered.

“You’re so beautiful it takes my breath away.”

“I love you.”

“And I love you,” he said wistfully. Then he zipped up my sweatshirt and pulled me to my feet.