But before he made the pain go away, he had to follow where it took him to the demon.
He closed his eyes. "Someone remember what I say."
"Got it." Christophe's voice. Yes, he could count on the professor to handle things.
"Drew." Marina called out from the crowd. He could hear agony in her voice only he couldn't do anything to ease her yet. "Don't do this. Take it back. This is Sebastian. You never know what's going to happen."
Drew shook his head. He appreciated the love that made her speak the way she did. And he had no doubt love described what she felt when she uttered the words. He could taste it; her adoration covered the sulfur for a brief moment bathing everything in roses.
"Marina, if you can't stand watching, leave the room." He almost hoped she would. Although he doubted she'd heed his instructions. Marina was nothing if not gutsy.
He breathed through his nose and let the heat inside of him travel through his mind. The last time he'd done this, he'd been an adolescent. The sensation had freaked the fuck out of him and when he'd actually been able to see out of Sebastian's eyes the temptation to give in to the evil that flowed through him had convinced Drew never to let the demon in again. Of course, he'd not really understood Sebastian was a demon. He'd come to the understanding much later.
Drew had only known he didn't want any part of whatever the guy had inside.
Except this time he did.
He let his mind travel. Follow where it leads, Sebastian had told him in a letter, don't fight it and the heat will make you stronger than you ever believed you could be.
The last time he went screaming. Sebastian had known the second he arrived. Drew would do better. He wasn't a scared kid. Sebastian didn't scare him so much as he pissed him off.
He floated through space even though he knew his body remained on the ground in the Outsider cave. Time ceased to matter. Drew really had no idea how long it took for his consciousness to move from his own body to the demon's incorporeal form. Would it be different since he wasn't going to be landing directly in any body this time?
Eyesight returned. He blinked rapidly and tried to look around only he could see just what the demon saw. And what he initially saw wasn't particularly helpful. A large brown home, peeling wood, and a shack in the back. Really nondescript. He didn't know if it'd be enough of an image to let him travel there. People were better than places unless he had been to the location many times.
The demon floated somewhere and Drew went with him.
"I'm at a house. It's brown. Bare trees. Not much going on. I don't even hear any cars in the distance. Maybe running water."
Christophe would remember the small details.
"He's moving. I'm obviously going with him. No sign of Alexa or really anything. Okay, moving again. This time to the side of the house. There's a number. 211 and something written beneath it. The street name. Ah, yes this is good. It says Crosswood. 211 Crosswood. I have no idea of state, country, or whatever. Lots of oak trees. But they're bare. And there's a very dark brown squirrel running around. I know, I must be pissing Leonardo off not doing better. Doing the best I can, buddy."
He had to find something concrete. "Hey, we know it's an English speaking place. That's something, right?"
If it was possible for a incorporeal being to jolt, that was what Sebastian did. Drew held his breath. He'd been spotted but he couldn't run away yet. Not until he saw what he needed. Frantically, he stared at the house. The curtains swayed and for a second he could see a person inside. An older man, grey hair, whiskers. Perfect. It was enough. He could get back to him.
"Drew." Sebastian hissed. "I didn't think you had the balls."
"Eat me." He was going back to his people with information they could use and Sebastian could take his attitude and…
"You think you've done something here? Well here's the deal, boy. You come in me? I get in you."
Drew was slammed back in his body, the gentle floating of the first time gone and instead it took a millisecond to return. He didn't come back alone and he could feel Sebastian inside of him, laughing his head off.
"Stay back." He screamed to the circle of Outsiders around him. "He's with me. He's in my head."
His body seized. Drew wasn't in control of it and the ability he'd had to shove the demon down last time, to close the opening, was gone. Sebastian was also not the child he had been years earlier. They wrestled for control of his body, hitting the floor as the demon's laughter got louder and more hysterical.
"He's got me." He called out to Kal. The only Outsider he knew for sure would do exactly what he needed. "Kill me."
"Drew." He couldn't listen to Marina's shriek. Not when he had to die.
"Kal, kick him out. Stop my heart. Do it. Damn it, do it before he uses me to hurt all of you."
He didn't see the lightning bolt come but he felt it, seconds before his new best friend killed him.
Drew's heart stopped.
Chapter Six
Sebastian fled from Drew's dead body as fast as he could manage. Getting trapped in an Outsider body when it ceased breathing was not on his agenda. He didn't fool himself. The healer would bring the pain in the ass Drew back to life. Outsiders were very difficult to kill before the sign was given.
Still, he'd bought himself some time. All he needed to do was retrieve Alexa and get her to kill the man before he the Outsiders reorganized themselves.
He'd found his way to beat them and he was going to roll around in it while he tortured the scribe.
* * * *
"Is he going to be okay?" Leonardo waited outside the door for Jason to come out of Drew's room. Their healer nodded. The past days had taken a toll on Jase; he had dark circles under his eyes. Who took care of the healer? Charma, he supposed
Jason walked slowly down the hall. "I think he's going to be fine. This is actually the second time I've restarted his heart. Did you know that?"
"No." He'd never heard the story. "When?"
The doctor turned healer stopped walking and leaned against the wall.
"The day Charma came and found me in the institution, I was really unclear about what was real and what wasn't. Drew explained things to me and I still didn't think any of it was possible, even though I'd seen things I couldn't make any sense of. I guess Drew wanted to make a point. So even though he'd had a vision—that weird thing he does where he seems to pick up some of our powers—he let himself get killed. Dead on the floor in front of me. He basically gave me no choice but to tap into my powers to save him. I restarted his heart."
Leonardo hadn't been there. He would arrive later after his flight back from Europe was spontaneously diverted from Boston to Newark. There were no strange occurrences in his life which didn't add up to something important.
"And then you believed."
"Exactly." Jason nodded. "Who's going to make him do the same?"
He snorted. "I don't think there's a question of Drew having to be convinced he has powers. He has more than any of us combined."
"You've missed the point. I'm not surprised. You somehow always do lately. What happened to your focus and vision?"
Leonardo stopped short. How had the conversation taken the turn to his flaws? He thought they were discussing Drew.
"Drew can do more than the rest of us, that's true. Yet, he doesn't believe. He couldn't care less."
So far everything Jason said sounded right. But none of this was news.
Jason continued speaking. Leonardo wished he'd told him to shut up almost immediately.
"Someone has to get him on board and I don't think it can be Marina. The rest of us? We found our soul mates and it clicked. Do you understand? I met Charma and, fuck, I didn't want any part of a war but she'd been raised knowing she would fight one so you know what? I wanted Charma, fighting came with the deal. So, boom, I'm there." He waved his hand in the air. "The others. All the same. Even Gabriel who wanted nothing to do with us. But you know what? You called him every day. You got him
to Maine. You gave him something to hope for. Where is the same spirit working Drew? Because he died for us today. And I think he just thought it was for Marina."
Leonardo took a second to answer. "So I'm what? Supposed to be some damn cheerleader? Woo hoo, let's go team. Where is the person to keep me on board? Where is my help?"
"The burden of leadership bugging you? Guess what? I don't care. Step down. I bet Samuel would lead. If you have any doubt about you being the best here for it, quit. An unconfident leader in battle is worthless to me. If you're our leader, do your job."
Jason shook his head and walked away from Leonardo. "And try to get some sleep. I can feel your tiredness beating on me like a baseball bat to the head."
Leonardo turned on his heel and stormed to his room. Fuck Jason and everyone else who told him what to do. What exactly should he do for I don't care Drew? Have some kind of powwow? Share war stories? Their lives weren't about choice. They worked as a team because they had no other options. He didn't exactly like all of them to the point he wanted to be living with them. But he did care about them deeply, more than he should, considering he only met some of them earlier this year.
It was about being an Outsider. They had destines and, yes, it blew. What was he supposed to do? Go hold his hand? Drew had a soul mate to keep him balanced. She wasn't off sleeping with demons.
When he couldn't take any more, he pounded on the wall. Over and over again. The cave survived thousands of Outsiders yet it might not make it through him. He wanted to tear the place apart. Instead, he would pound on the wall until he felt better. Or he broke his hand, whichever came first.
Leonardo, I don't know why you think you can lead.
It had been years since he'd had Veli's voice in his head. Killing the man had silenced the bullshit and yet there he was again, where he always was, when Leonardo felt stupid. He stopped pounding the wall.
People like you are better with their heads in their books. Stay there. Stay out of the way. You're really a pretty worthless Outsider.
Yes, and didn't he know it.
* * * *
Alexa paced her hotel room. Seemed like she spent most of her time these days waiting or walking in circles. She'd blown everything with Marina and all chances of a new friendship appearing flew out the window. Once again, she'd spend the night alone. Sebastian's ghost might or might not show up again.
Wow, she was really tired of being by herself.
"Alexa." Sebastian's voice resonated throughout the room. "I need you now. Come to the address appearing on your cell phone."
The same instructions he'd given her when she had to run to St. Croix and wait for Marina. Maybe she wouldn't make it all go to hell again and destroy the whole mission.
"Sebastian, are you there?" No answer met her query and she tried to push down her frustration.
He'd never been a wonderful communicator when they were friends, less so when they'd dated, and since death he gave her instructions and vanished afterwards. Damn it, she was happy to help with the cult. They'd always shared an interest in defeating the Outsiders. Only, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life running wherever Sebastian sent her and getting nothing for it.
If that was what he wanted, he should go ahead and move on to the next life. She wasn't his errand girl.
Her mouth watered. She needed blood. What she wouldn't give to crave something as benign as a cheeseburger. Blood. Alexa clenched her hands and grabbed her coat. She wasn't going to find blood in the hotel room. Just another of hundreds of mind-numbing hotels where she knew no one and didn't want to be there.
Why it bothered her she didn't know. Alexa had always been alone—even when she was in a crowd.
* * * *
Someone had been in the room.
Zane stormed down the rain soaked street heading toward nowhere with no earthly idea where he would end up. He'd known he wasn't alone when he'd crept through the apartment and then just as fast the sensation changed and he'd been certain no one was around.
He shook his head. Was he losing his damned mind? Had the pressure of his so-called destiny he'd been told about, finally believed, and hated, finally made him a lunatic?
Zane rubbed at the ache on his chest. Why did he feel like he'd lost something and the not having might bring him to his knees?
"Zane."
He stopped moving and whirled around. No one was on the street with him, which came as no surprise. What person in their right mind would go wondering around in the cold except him? He didn't feel the weather the same as others.
"Who's there? Who's fucking around?"
"Zane. That's your name isn't it? Since I first saw you at the window I haven't been able to stop thinking of you. Like you're something from a dream. You were near me today and you can hear me. Beautiful. Like I can breathe for the very first time."
She was in his head. He didn't even need a moment to realize who the she in this scenario was. The woman he had seen from the window who had made him ache. Similarly to how he felt since he left the empty apartment.
Had it been her in there with him for a brief moment?
"Why didn't you stay? Talk to me in person?"
Anyone looking at him would think he'd suddenly become frozen to the ground and perhaps he had. His whole life had led to this moment and, as if to lend credence to the ridiculous thought, the chanters he heard so irregularly but who seemed to want to chat with him more and more.
"I'm not safe to know, Zane. Consider me not showing myself to you a sign of my not wanting to hurt you."
"I'm a pretty tough guy. Kind of hard to harm." His hands tingled. He needed to see her face up close, not the paltry distant look he'd gotten from a window for all too fleeting moment. He wanted to look upon her, damn it.
"I burn everything I touch. Oh no, he's back. You need to go. Get off the street before the bad weather gets worse. Return to your home and your beautiful woman."
His what? "No," he said aloud. "It's not like that. We're not together. We're sharing space."
Zane thought it pivotal she understand he was not romantically involved with Gia. They were both Outsiders. They lived together as more of a support network. And, hell, if she could speak in his mind, the unnamed female he desperately craved to know was probably one, too.
She was gone. He could feel the absence of her like a mist floating away from his head. How had she gotten in there in the first place? He usually had to stare at Gia for a good ten minutes before he could pass her a thought.
Why had the woman run from their communication? Was she in some kind of trouble? Burned what she touched?
He roared his frustration to the street not caring who heard. Why give him a taste and then take it away?
"You okay, buddy?"
Zane whirled around. Two men who he hadn't sensed near him stood a foot away. Given his history of trouble, he immediately sized them up. They were just as tall as he was, the one on the left standing an inch above the other. Broad shouldered and built to fight, he didn't love his chances of taking them in a brawl, which would mean he would have to pull out some of his special talents if it came to violence.
Hell, maybe he should go all Outsider on them for the fun of it. His night couldn't get much worse.
"What is it you two want?" Zane took a deep breath. "Because last time I checked, I was minding my own business on the street and not bothering you. I've got no money on me and I wouldn't suggest you decide to question my truthfulness because you won't like the outcome."
The man on the right stepped forward. "It's all right, Zane."
"What the fuck?" He'd had enough. Were these fuckers stalking him? He stepped forward, his fists clenched as he waited for the fight that had to be coming. "How do you know me?"
"I'm Gabe." The guy on the right nodded to the one on the left. "This is Colin. We've come looking for you and we're not here to fight. Although we are more than capable of a good throw down if that's what you need."
Zane adjusted
his stance. Nothing the person calling himself Gabe said made him feel any less threatened. "Why are you looking for me and how did you know where to find me?"
The two exchanged a glance he couldn't decipher.
"Because we think you can hear this."
Gabe's voice resonated in his head and Zane backed up three steps. As the unknown woman had done, and Gia on a few occasions, the fucker in front of him could speak telepathically. Was this becoming a thing?
"You're Outsiders." Other than Gia, he had never met another person like him. The world seemed to shift on its axis like the wind moved differently around him and the air tasted new on his tongue. Odd thought but true.
Colin finally spoke. "Very helpful you already know the word. Saves us having to do a lot of explaining on that level." He held up his hands. "We found you because we have a seer who can touch the future with her mind sometimes. An incident occurred which made her aware of your existence. So we came looking."
The announcement of a seer might have freaked him out more if he hadn't seen Gia paint pictures of Outsider scenes without having ever been to the places she saw. He could make objects do what he wanted. Things were weird, he'd gotten used to the strangeness.
Rain pelted down on his head. "Clearly, we need to talk. Maybe inside is better."
Gabriel extended his hand. "You can come with us. Where we all are. Meet everyone. Any questions you have would be better answered there."
Zane shook his head. "Not so simple. I live with a woman. She's…like us. I can't go vanishing on Gia."
He didn't want Gia as anything more than a friend or a sister. Yet, he felt responsible for her on a very basic level.
Colin crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you call her?"
"Gia."
Another look shared between the two guys. Zane was getting a little tired of the things not being said.
"You're living with her." Colin rocked back on his feet. "What's that about?"