“DAMN IT, SEAN, JUST CALM DOWN for a minute! It’s not as bad as you think.” Alex was forcibly keeping Sean from ripping me out of Dec’s arms. Actually it was Alex, Raphael, and Zadkiel trying to hold him, yet Sean was still dragging them over to where I was lying. Dec tightened his grip and continued pleading in my ear. He’d given up crying and resorted to begging quietly. He thought he could reach me wherever I had gone off to. I heard his words but couldn’t answer him. His anguish was breaking my heart into tiny little pieces.
“This is his fault!” Sean lunged for Killian’s inert body. Alex threw himself against Sean’s legs, sending them both crashing to the floor. Temporarily insane, Sean struggled to get up, swearing in a language that might have been Latin. Alex finally punched him in the jaw to stop him.
“Stop it! Right now! Don’t you see they’re still joined? If you rip them apart, one of them could be lost—maybe Killian, maybe Mica. Who are you willing to lose?” Alex yelled.
“Fuck! We could live without Killian!”
“Sean!” Raphael actually sounded shocked. “That’s quite enough.”
Breathing hard, Sean lowered his head for a minute before getting up to pace. I guess he wasn’t one to get hysterical for long. He pointed to the demon in the chair.
“What’s with the prisoner?”
“Oh, him? He’s a gift from those two over there,” Alex answered with a hint of sarcasm.
“Come again?” Sean peered more closely into the demon’s face. His mouth was smooshed flat with duct tape. He mostly made grunting noises and wriggled his weird eyebrows a lot. Sean dismissed him.
“Mica’s plan worked, you see. Except that, apparently, there was a demon actually possessing James. She and Killian managed to corral the scum and evict him. Just before they collapsed on the floor, the demon flew out of James and landed at my feet.” Alex shook his head ruefully. “It was the strangest thing. He was wrapped in the chain from Mica’s locket and couldn’t get loose.”
He pierced Sean with a steady look. “You gave her that locket. What’s the chain made of?”
Sean turned positively green, swallowing so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. “The three of us made it to link her to us to keep her safe.”
“Yes, but what’s it made of?”
Sean refused to meet his eyes.
Alex blanched. “You didn’t? Tell me you didn’t!”
“She has our blood too, Alex! It was necessary!”
“Are you insane?”
Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Everyone was losing their minds, and I was lying here staring like a possessed china doll. This had to stop. There had to be a solution . . . With that in mind, I called Killian. No response. I called him again.
Killian! Get back here!
You don’t have to scream; I can hear you just fine. What?
What do you mean, ‘what?’ We have to get back. Look at them! They’re having kittens, and my eyes are drying out!
If a disembodied voice could shrug, his just did. Shut up and let me think.
Shut up I did, but not because I wanted to. He really needs to work on his people skills.
“Mica? Can you hear me? Blink or something if you can hear me!” Three inches in front of my face, Sean was searching my eyes for some kind of recognition. He threatened in a low voice, “If you don’t come out of there right now, I’m going in after you! James won’t mind another hitchhiker!”
Killian exclaimed, That’s it! James! Whatever happens, don’t let go of me.
Dec jumped out of his skin and nearly dropped me on the floor. “Did you see that? Their hands twitched!” He crushed me against his chest lest I physically disappear altogether.
Sean urged, “That’s my girl! Come on, baby, you got this.”
Raphael spoke up. “Alex, James seems to be waking up. His lips are moving, but I can’t understand what he’s saying. See if you can.”
Alex put his ear to James’ lips. After a few seconds, he said, “James, this is Alex. You’re safe now. If you can hear me, please do as I say immediately.”
I strained to hear the rest of it, but Alex turned away, and I couldn’t hear him. A few minutes went by, and an odd pressure pushed against me. What the hell was that? It was gentle at first like someone pushing me on a swing . . . back and forth. It knocked me off balance, and I wobbled. Killian’s presence was beside me; his strong hand holding me steady. I squeezed until my knuckles were white. The pressure began to build and soon was a strong wind pushing me relentlessly forward. I struggled to stay on my feet.
What’s happening?
James is awake. Stop anchoring to him and relax. Just don’t let go of me!
It was like standing in a hurricane holding onto a palm tree—I knew I needed to let go and let the wind take me—but my cowardly survival instincts screamed to hang on. I tried to let go, but my hands were too stiff to bend. The winds howled, plucking at my hands until I was slipping off of my anchor. To my horror, my hand was slipping out of Killian’s. I tightened my grip as a final jarring shove pushed me off my anchor, whipping me away into nothingness.
I sat straight up with a loud gasp. The room spun and I blinked to clear my eyes. I was back! My head was fuzzy, and my stomach rolled uncomfortably, but I was clearly among the living and sane again.
Sean cried, “Oh, thank God!” and steadied me with both hands.
Searching for awareness, he scrutinized every inch of my face. Was I still locked inside James or was I really back? He peered into my eyes, and I smiled back at him this time. Apparently satisfied that I was conscious for real, he breathed a sigh of relief and bent down to kiss me. He kissed me lightly at first and then crushed me against him. My eyes flew open in surprise, but I quickly got over it and kissed him back with as much enthusiasm. He was kissing me like I just returned from the dead. He shoved Dec rudely away and dragged me against him like a drowning man clings to a life preserver. My own emotions were out of control as I realized how close I came to disappearing. What was I thinking? How would I ever survive in this new world of ours?
Next to us, Killian blinked groggily. His skin was so chalky that his dark blue eyes stood out like fresh bruises. His pupils were still fully dilated. He reminded me of a strange night creature. After a moment of deep breathing, his face regained some color. He frowned at Sean with disapproval. Sean glared and forcibly pried our hands apart.
A dry, scratchy voice interrupted us. “Can someone please do something with this demon? He smells bad.”
Chapter 20: The Seedy Underbelly