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xaviercasmir:
You just got yourselve a new fan. Keep it up bro.

thanks bro

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Lacy. Let me in!”

Michael knocked on Lacy’s front door for a third time. He’d been standing on her porch for God knows how long, but there was still no answer. Now he was worried, especially as the demon had managed to somehow evade them back at the motel. That bastard could be anywhere. He’d planned to drop Evo’s stuff at his place, then for Evo to drop him straight back at Lacy’s on his way to the hospital but they’d got sidetracked after Evo decided to make some calls to name-drop Varesh to some of his associates. No one he’d spoken to had heard of the demon, but they promised to ask around. He’d been much longer getting back to Lacy than he’d planned.

He decided to give one more knock and if there was still no answer, he was kicking his way in. No need. Just as he fisted the door it opened swiftly, leaving him knocking on nothing but air.

Lacy stood before him, rubbing her eyes. She looked at him for a moment, eyes narrowed, lips drawn tight, before turning and walking away from him.

She looked. . . angry? She left the door wide open so Michael went straight in, pushed the door shut and followed her into the living room.

“What took you so long? You had me worried for a minute there.” Michael said, his voice sounding calmer than he actually felt. “I thought that−”

“Where were you?” Lacy interrupted. She’d plonked herself on the sofa, squeezing her hands in her lap.

What was she so pissed about? “I told you we were taking Jake to the sheriff’s office.”

“But you didn’t though, right?” She wouldn’t look at him for some reason.

He hesitated, not really knowing what to say, but he had to think of something and quick. He couldn’t tell her that Jake was dead, not without being able to tell her why. He hated having to lie to her, but he would if it was the best thing for her, which it was, without any doubt. She’d already been exposed to too much and there was no way of knowing where that demon was right now.

At least when it was using Jake’s body they stood half a chance, but now. . .

He took in a deep breath. “How did you know?”

Now she looked at him. “I went to the sheriff’s office just after you called. I thought I’d meet you there−help you explain what had happened and give them my statement, but you never showed.”

Shit! Now there was a real big problem. If Lacy had told them about Jake then things were about to get even more complicated as soon as they realized he was missing. “Did you tell them anything, Lacy?”

Her brow furrowed. “Yes. I told them what happened and they’re going to want my statement. Where did you go? And where’s Jake?”

“He got away.” The lie just came out. What else could he do?

Lacy shot up from the sofa. Her hand went to her throat. “What? How?”

His skin prickled with guilt, but he lied for good reason. He also knew that if she thought Jake was still out there somewhere, she would have less of a problem with him staying at her house; he had to, to protect her from the demon that was now even more pissed off than it was before.

“We lost him at the hospital that’s why I’ve been gone until now. We’ve been out looking for him. I told you everything was okay because I didn’t want you to worry.” He looked away from her. What the hell was he going to do about the cops? As soon as Lacy gives her statement they’ll be all over it and it won’t be long until they realize he’s missing.

Unless he got Evo to recover the body and dump it somewhere the cops would find it; make it look like an accident. Yeah, that was the best idea. He didn’t need the cops sniffing around the university any more than they already were.

He noticed that Lacy looked pale. “Are you okay?” He walked over to where she was leaning an elbow on the wooden fireplace, taking her by the other arm. “Here, sit down and I’ll make us some coffee.”

She sighed. “I’m worried, Michael,” she said in almost a whisper.

“Everything will be fine. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” A promise he intended to keep. He was determined to keep her safe, now more than ever. He really didn’t like it, but she was becoming more and more important to him. He couldn’t believe that he’d nearly kissed her at the hospital.

After battling so hard to keep his damn feelings in check, he’d nearly caved. He had to get himself under control not just for his sake, but for hers as well. No good could come of it; he knew that. So, he would execute better control around her, simple as that. Yeah, right!

Lacy’s voice cut into his thoughts. “I’m not so worried about me. I’m scared that something will happen to Nina. What if Jake did have something to do with it and decides to silence her properly? She’s so vulnerable in the hospital.”

“Evo is there. He’ll be watching the place overnight again.” But perhaps it should be him. The sensible thing would be to tell Evo to stay with Lacy while Michael watched the hospital. That way he’d be away from her, and it would give him time to sort his damn useless brain out.

Coffee. . . He was going to make coffee.

“Michael?”

He stopped without turning around.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

He closed his eyes for a second, then went into the kitchen without saying a word.

* * * * *

Soft lips met his and began to kiss him slowly. Michael had been fast asleep on Lacy’s sofa and was now being woken up in the most unexpected way. He was surprised, but didn’t resist. His eyes opened slowly to see Lacy looking back at him, her eyes hooded and dark. She closed them and thrust her tongue inside his mouth meeting his and twirling it in the most intoxicating way, sending a fierce heat rushing through his whole body, lighting him up with a desire he knew he should be fighting but couldn’t. He felt her climb on top of him, legs straddling his hips. He reached down and placed his hands on her soft thighs, stroking her velvet skin with his thumbs. She moaned softly and began to trail kisses down his jaw, his neck, and continuing to his chest.

“Lacy.” he whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as he gave in to the feel of her lips pressing against his skin. Her hair fell over his chest, tickling him, caressing him as she kissed one of his nipples. He hissed, pleasure seeping through him.

Lacy sat up and pulled her nightshirt off to reveal a pretty white lace bra that matched her panties. Her hands stroked up his stomach and over his chest and she began to move her hips against him. She caught his moan with her mouth and he kissed her with more fervor this time, stroking his hands up her back and into her hair. She broke off their kiss again to run her lips over his neck. “You feel so good,” she whispered into his ear, her warm breath prickling his skin.

He reached down and unhooked her bra, leaving it to fall freely by her sides, then he ran his hands all over her, feeling every inch of her as she continued to whisper things to him.

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” she said, kissing under his jaw and across to his other ear. “Do you want me, Michael?”

He shivered this time and his breath caught before he answered. “Yes. I do.”

She licked her tongue up his neck, but instead of relishing the sensation he paused. All of a sudden his instincts were on red alert. He wouldn’t expect Lacy to act this way.

She softly nibbled at his ear. “Do you like that?” More kisses. “Do you like the feel of me?”

He didn’t answer. His whole body stiffened, overcome with uncertainty.

Something wasn’t right.

“Do you want me? Do you Jack?”

What the hell? How did she know he was Jack?

Lacy sat up and when she opened her eyes, they were bright crimson.

Shit! The demon!

“NO!”

Michael sat bolt upright, unable to catch his breath for a second. But Lacy had gone. He scrubbed his hands over his face, then looked around, eyes wide.

The small lamp on the side table by his head had been left on, the rest of the room in darkness but he could see he was alone. His racing heart began to slow, consciousness returning, making him realize that he’d just had the most vivid of dreams ever. Finally, he relaxed his shoulders.

Not real. Thank God!

There was a soft knock on the door. “Michael.”

Lacy. “Yeah. Come on in,” he croaked.

She was dressed in sweats and a T-shirt. No nightshirt, to his relief.

“I heard you call out. Are you okay? Bad dream?”

Well. . . Most of it was quite good actually. He looked down to make sure his lower half was covered just in case anything was going on down there. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Kind of.”

Her concern felt nice.

She sat down in the chair opposite and tucked her legs up under her. “I was just coming back from the bathroom when I heard you; thought I’d better check in. I’m having a little trouble sleeping.”

He understood that. “Thanks.” He scratched his head and tried not to look at her. He had to get those damn thoughts out of his head. He felt weird: One minute he was enjoying her on top of him on this very sofa, the next she was sitting across the room from him all innocent in her sweats. And what the hell was with those crimson eyes?

“It must have been a bad one, you’re soaked with sweat.”

Unusual. He didn’t think he could sweat.

As he looked over, her gaze quickly dropped to the floor. Not wanting him to see her looking at his body he guessed. The thought of her doing so made his body heat a little. "Get a grip you idiot."

The silence that followed was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Why couldn’t he think of something to say?

“I drink cocoa when I can’t sleep.” She was still looking down, her eyes glazed over as though her thoughts were somewhere else. Then she looked at him and her mouth curled up in a slight smile. “Beth, my sister, would sometimes wake in the middle of the night from a bad dream and I would always get out of bed, go downstairs and make us both a cup of hot chocolate.

My mum would either be out working or in an alcohol induced sleep, so it was always me that looked after Beth when she was scared. We’d sit on our beds and tell each other stories, and I would stay awake until she went back to sleep.”

Michael lay back down on his pillows. “You were very close?” More an observation than a question.
“Yes.” She blinked as though snapping herself back to the present, then stood up. “Would you like a cup? Of Cocoa?”

He smiled. “Would love on

Lacy went into the kitchen through the door that connected both rooms and Michael placed his arm over his forehead. The last part of his dream had disturbed him, leaving him with a gnawing in the pit of his stomach that he couldn’t seem to shake. Obviously dealing with the demon last night was on his mind before he’d gone to sleep, but why the hell did it have to ruin a perfectly enjoyable dream? Stop it. You’ve finally got yourself under control, don’t start it off again, his inner voice warned.

He placed his hand under the sheet, curious to know if anything had happened to his body. It was the first time he’d had feelings like that since being dead. He hadn’t desired any woman or had any dreams which involved the opposite sex at all. In fact, he’d only had nightmares he could never really remember, and hadn’t thought about whether his manhood would work or not.

Well, if it had, it wasn’t now and he wasn’t willing to try it out again, or see if it was capable of doing anything else.

Shit. He was in trouble. It seemed the more he tried to ignore what he was feeling for Lacy the more he felt. Now he was dreaming about her for God’s sake. He was definitely going to have to swap roles with Evo after today, even though the thought of his womanizing buddy sleeping in the same house as her, the two of them alone, made him anxious in a way he couldn’t describe. He knew how good his friend was at charming the females, and he didn’t doubt that Evo would try working his magic on her, but it was something Michael would have to overlook if he was to try and spend less time in her company.

The door opened and Lacy came in with a tray that had two steaming hot cups on it. Michael pulled himself up to a sitting position, still careful to keep his bottom half completely covered, and after Lacy put the tray on the floor next to him she patted his leg with the back of her hand. “Scoot,” she ordered.

She wanted to join him on the sofa? Michael reluctantly moved his legs back, making room on the edge and she sat down by his waist.

“I brought cookies too.” She smiled at him; passing him a cup before taking hers followed by a chocolate chip cookie from the small plate. Michael wasn’t in the mood for food. He was tense. With Lacy sat so close to him after what had just happened, he was having a hard time trusting himself right now.

“So what did you dream about?” she asked innocently.

He gulped a mouthful of cocoa and it went down the wrong way, causing him to momentarily cough his borrowed lungs up. He held his cup out trying not to spill the contents.

After he’d composed himself he thought of something quickly. “I don’t really remember.” It was all he could think of and oh, how he wished it were true.

“Happens to me all the time.” Lacy smiled. She looked down into her hot chocolate and he watched her face straighten. “I was worried sick about you earlier. I thought something bad had happened.”

He felt that pang of guilt, again, which unsettled him. He never thought that she’d go to the station, figured she’d wait here for him to return, and he would’ve called earlier if he’d known she’d be worried. He was so used to just getting on with things, and not having to think about anyone else, that he hadn’t realized. He was uncomfortable with having to think of someone else’s feelings all of a sudden.

“I’m sorry. I should have called sooner−”

“I know,” she interrupted, “just hear me out for a second. When I was pacing the floor waiting for you to get in touch, my mind was thinking all sorts of things. I panicked when I’d convinced myself that something bad had happened and there was a possibility I would never see you again.” She dropped her gaze and picked at her thumbnail. “I’ve been lying awake for the past hour trying to make sense of it all. I mean, we haven’t known each other all that long, but it seems I. . . What I’m trying to say is”−she let out a sharp sigh and her shoulders slumped−“I care for you, Michael.”

Oh, hell.

All the air left his lungs and he couldn’t seem to think of a single word to say−stunned, for the first time ever. This woman in front of him had been in his life for only a little over a week and yet she’d somehow captivated him. He knew he was developing feelings for her and had tried so hard to deny them, but it seemed to have only made them stronger. What was he going to do? Nothing!

You can’t let anything happen and you know it. His inner voice seemed to have the right idea. It wouldn’t be fair on her.

When he realized he’d been staring at her for far too long without saying a word, he tried to muster something. “Lacy, I. . . ” What could he say to her that wouldn’t hurt her feelings?

She reached out and took his cup from him, placing both onto the tray on the floor. She slowly leaned towards him and his heart rate increased, his own feelings playing tug of war as he stared into her hypnotic pale green eyes. She was so close he could feel her warm breath on his face and he almost weakened until something snapped him back to reality, reminding him of the hurt he would cause her when he eventually had to leave, which he would, without question. He wasn’t human, would never be, so being with her wasn’t an option.

He pulled back, his breath hissing between his teeth as he forced himself to ignore a potent instinct which would allow no room for rational thought.

“Lacy, we can’t do this,” he said, even though every part of him wanted to.

She dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry. I thought you felt the same way.”

That feeling of guilt was hitting him a lot harder now. In fact, it had swapped its softball racket for a wrecking ball. “I can’t deny that I have feelings for you, Lacy. And you can’t begin to understand how hard it is for me to not kiss you right now.”

“Then why?”

His reply was hesitant. “There are things you don’t know about me.” Things

she could never know.

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Damn. The way she was looking at him now made him nauseous. Hurt, fear, confusion, it was all clear to see on her face.

“What things?” she pressed.

Shit. He was sinking deeper into the hole that had appeared below him and it worried him that, without being honest with her, he wouldn’t get out of it.

“Things I can’t tell you, but I assure you, you don’t have to worry. I haven’t done anything bad. Believe me, if there was any way I could tell you I would.

You do know that, don’t you?

He could no longer read her expression. She stared at the floor, her eyes blank behind those heavy eyelashes. He longed to know what she was thinking.

Had he hurt her? It wasn’t his intention but perhaps it would be for the best; better for her to be wary of him−to not trust him.

The silence seemed to last forever. Then Lacy damn near floored him.

“I do believe you.”

It was her kind and trusting nature that had attracted him to her in the first place. Her willingness to care for a complete stranger such as Nina and the fact that she was accepting what was happening around her without question, trusting Michael to see her through it and make sure that everything was okay.

Believing him now, after he’d meant to put doubt in her mind, was just a testament to her true nature. How was he going to stay away from her when every second he was with her, she pulled him in deeper?

“I’m glad because I would never intentionally keep anything from you unless it was to protect you.” He placed his hand on her cheek and turned her face to him. “I would never hurt you, Lacy.”

“I know you wouldn’t, not only because of what you’ve told me, but because I can just feel it,” she replied, and he could see that there was nothing but sincerity in her words. She’d never looked as attractive to him as she did at that moment. He was doomed.“Michael, can I ask a favor?” She picked at her fingernails again. A habit, he’d noticed.

“Sure, anything.”

She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. “Can I lie next to you? I don’t want to be alone right now.”

"Anything but that! Jesus!"

He stared into her eyes and saw a sadness behind them that he could relate to. He knew he shouldn’t, that it was dangerous territory, but he felt the same way. After all this time of being alone, he suddenly didn’t want to be either.

He held the blanket back for her and she climbed in next to him, lying down with her back to him, which was good. He only had a certain amount of control left and knew how thin the line was that he was walking right now. He kept his arms awkwardly by his sides, even though the temptation to put one around her and pull her into him was so strong. He tried not to breathe the sweet apple scent of her freshly washed hair in too deeply and ignored the heat of her body−which was way too close to his−as best he could.

If he could get through the rest of the night without touching her, he would take his ass out for a celebratory drink the minute there was a bar open. Who knew he would have this much control over himself?

“Good night, Michael.”

He knew he should reply but honestly didn’t know if he could speak. “Good night.” he managed to say as he squeezed his eyes shut. This was one time he needed to sleep.

* * *

Lacy let out a contented sigh as she woke to a warm sensation at the back of her neck. As her eyes flickered open she realized soft lips were caressing her skin. As consciousness gripped her, she froze, making sure what was happening was real and that she wasn’t in some crazy realistic dream.

She wasn’t. Michael.

She felt his arm tighten around her waist, pulling her closer into his warm body as his lips travelled around her neck, softly caressing her as they slowly moved up to the flesh behind her ear. Her heart began to pound and when Michael gently sucked her earlobe, her eyes closed and she couldn’t help the gentle moan that escaped her. Her breath caught and somehow she managed to whisper, “Michael?” as he continued to kiss her.

He didn’t answer her.

My God. Is this really happening?

Her mind went foggy as the feel of his warm breath upon her skin sent a glorious shiver down the length of her body. She lay silent, afraid that if she moved she might wake up and realize that this was nothing but a dream.

His arm moved upwards and he placed his hand on her cheek, gently pulling her face towards him and kissing her softly along her jaw until his lips found hers. She closed her eyes, shifted her body around to face him as he continued to kiss her. His kiss grew more intense and just as she reached up and tangled her fingers in his hair, he whispered her name against her lips. Then. . .

Michael paused. His whole body had gone rigid.

He pulled his head back suddenly and she caught his horrified expression in the glow from the lamp. “Shit! Lacy, I’m so sorry.” he said as he quickly sat up, nearly knocking her to the floor.

She followed him, swinging her legs off the sofa and sitting up beside him.

She lowered her head, letting her hair fall around her face to hide her embarrassment. How could she be so stupid? Of course he was still sleeping.

She should have realized when he hadn’t answered her, but it had been a little hard to think straight.

The few moments that neither one of them spoke was almost unbearable.

Michael let out a sigh as he dragged his hand through his hair. “I didn’t know what I was doing.” His voice was almost a whisper and, swallowing her shame, Lacy found the courage to turn and face him. “I was dreaming. I’m. . .

I’m so sorry.”

She had to do something to make it right. As ashamed and embarrassed as she was, she had a feeling he felt worse. “Hey, listen. . . It’s okay.” When she was sure her cheeks had cooled down, she tilted her neck so he had no choice but to look at her. When their eyes met, she smiled and saw the tension ease a little from his shoulders. She nodded. “Really. . .”

He shook his head, leaning into his hand. “I feel like such an ass.”

“Well, please don’t. No harm done, I promise.” She reached for the TV control not wanting to risk any more of that awkward silence. “Why don’t we just watch some cheesy late night movie and forget about it?” She turned the power on and began to flick through the channels. “Besides. . . ” She gave him a sideways glance, “I quite enjoyed it.” Her face heated up and she couldn’t believe what she’d just said. Then she looked up and caught the surprise on his face. They both laughed.

“Perhaps I should. . . ”−he pointed with his thumb−“. . . the chair?” He left the sofa and after settling on some eighties sci-fi b-movie, Lacy lay back down.

They were both silent.

* * *

Michael didn’t really dream anymore. For the past year his slumber had only been filled with vivid images of his time in the pit. Jumbled nightmares filling the spaces between consciousness and anxiety were what usually woke him up with a start.

But again, not this time Only two times he’d dreamed properly since he’d died. Gone were the crimson skies and the blood and the slicing. Instead, for the second time in what must have only been a few hours, all he’d seen was Lacy. But the second time had seemed even more real than the first.

It was as though his mind had hit record on their whole conversation prior to him falling asleep, then replayed it to him in his sleep using an alternate ending, the one he’d really wanted to play out when Lacy had nearly kissed him.
Shit, it had felt good.

He watched as she slept on the sofa across from him. The movie had finished so he’d turned the TV off and could now hear the gentle sounds of the birds singing outside as they awoke to the coming dawn. He hadn’t bothered trying to get back to sleep, not wanting to risk any more dreams, however pleasant they had felt. Hell, he’d stop sleeping altogether if that’s what was needed.

This wasn’t meant to be happening.

He promised himself that this was the last time he’d stay with her.

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fergie001:
Tnx,I appreciate

you're welcome

fergie001:
Tnx,I appreciate

you're welcome

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The smell of fried bacon filled Lacy’s nose as she awoke from a deep sleep, but the minute she opened her eyes she panicked.

Where the hell am I?

The living room. Her living room. Panic over.

As her brain came back on line she remembered why she was lying on the sofa. She’d slept with Michael. . . Well, not with him, but next to him. Her sleepy eyes scanned the room, but there was no sign of him.

She closed her eyes and fought to rid her mind of Michael’s horrified expression as he’d pulled away from her during the night.

And. . . Oh, God. What if she’d kept him awake after that because she’d been snoring or something? Never mind the shameful kissing and handling moment, this could be far worse. She hadn’t slept in a man’s company for a long time. He probably couldn’t take anymore and escaped before she’d woken up. Or what if she’d frightened him with her sleep talking? She knew she still did it now and again. She’d woken herself up with it. She couldn’t take anymore humiliation.

The door from the kitchen opened slowly and in walked Michael, freshly showered by the looks of it and fully dressed. He was holding a tray. He smiled at her. He looks so handsome when he smiles like that. Her stomach groaned.

“You’re awake?” he said with a gleam in his eye that made her melt inside a little. “I thought I’d fix some breakfast before I left.”She sat up and he passed her the tray which had a plate of bacon and eggs and a steaming hot cup of coffee on it.

She decided then and there that she could quite easily marry him. “Thanks,”

she managed to say past the warm glow in her chest. For God’s sake, she was acting like a school girl with a silly crush.

Michael grabbed his coat from the chair and put it on. Soon after, a car horn sounded outside. “That’ll be Evo. He wants me to take him to the Lake.” He rolled his eyes. “He’s such a tourist.” The edges of his smile pulled down turning his expression more serious. “Will you stay at home today?”

“What about Nina?” She’d planned to take some things up to the hospital for her, realizing when she was last there that the poor girl didn’t even have and toiletries, or extra nightwear. It wasn’t like anyone else visited her apart from Lacy and the hospital staff. She’d been in that standard issue gown since her operation and Lacy thought it was about time she changed into something more comfortable. Besides, she felt guilty as hell when she didn’t visit, even if Nina didn’t know her. Lacy believed that when she spoke, Nina could hear her and it would be better for her to hear a familiar voice when she did come around.

“Just until I come back, then we’ll go to see Nina together. I’d feel happier knowing that you’re here.”
She understood. If Jake was still about then it was safer to wait. “Okay, I’ll stay.” She placed the tray on the sofa and followed him to the door. He stopped before opening it and turned to face her.

He surprised her when he leaned in and kissed her softly on her cheek. Her breath caught.

“Call me if anything happens, okay?”

All she could do was nod her head, then he opened the door and left.

Lacy finally released her breath. She placed her hand on her cheek and replayed in her mind what had just happened. That kiss, even though it had only been on her cheek, not her mouth like the others, it had almost stopped her heart. It hadn’t been a polite see-you-later kind of peck on the cheek; his warm lips had lingered for a second, like it was more an acknowledgement of their feelings for each other.

She was so confused. Why had her feelings for him developed so quickly?

She was never the type to fall for someone so easily, always cautious whenever she was dating someone, so why was this happening? It was strange to feel this way about someone so soon.

Last night when she’d laid in bed thinking about how concerned she’d been over Michael, she’d realized it wasn’t just a crush like when she’d fancied Karl James back in high school. And it was certainly nothing like what she’d felt for Simon when she’d stupidly accepted his proposal before finding out about the cheating. She knew she never really loved him, just felt flattered that a man like him would want to spend the rest of his life with her. She’d learnt a very big lesson there.

No. this felt very different, like there was a strange connection between them. Michael felt too familiar to her; given the short time they’d known each other. She’d spent over an hour in her room trying to convince herself to go and talk to him, but had chickened out, deciding it could wait till morning. That was until she’d gone to the bathroom and heard his voice. Knowing he was awake,

she couldn’t go back to bed without talking to him first. It was a vice of hers:

When something was on her mind it had to come out, no matter what.

She’d sensed that he felt something for her though−especially after what had happened, or nearly happened, in Nina’s hospital room−but when he’d admitted earlier that he had feelings for her too, her heart had sung with delight only to clamp its mouth shut a few seconds later when he’d told her that they couldn’t do anything about it.

So he had secrets, didn’t we all?

He’d nearly let her kiss him. He’d hesitated before pulling away. And the way he’d kissed her in his sleep, even though he was just dreaming, it was obvious he desired her too. So what could be so bad he had to deny her?

Perhaps it was also because he was only working in Oakland temporarily. Did he have someone to go back to? Her stomach sank at the thought of him belonging to someone else.

She could still feel his lips on her skin as if he’d left them with her. Then she allowed herself to think about their brief encounter again. She’d wanted him to kiss her so badly and couldn’t believe that she’d awoken to him doing just that.

She played the moment over and over in her mind and her body began to heat.

No! That’s enough, she told herself. She wouldn’t allow herself to fall any harder until she knew what he was keeping from her.

After receiving a very pleasing phone call from the hospital informing her that Nina had woken up during the night and was doing well, Lacy had showered, dressed and was feeling a lot more positive about her day. The nurse had told her that Nina had even spoken and was aware of where she was; all positive signs that led towards the hope that she had no brain damage. She’d told Lacy that Nina was resting and would be having some tests this afternoon, so it would be best for Lacy to visit in the evening. Great! She’d go with Michael after dinner She was just stuffing some dirty laundry in the machine when her doorbell rang. Michael had only been gone a little over an hour, so she didn’t expect it to be him. Besides, he never rang the bell.

It was still early. She glanced at the clock on the sideboard as she passed it on the way to the front door−eight-thirty, unusual for someone to call round so early, especially on a Sunday. Then she remembered: Teresa. She’d said she’d call in on her way home from her shift.

Lacy peered through the small, round window in the door and sure enough, Teresa stood on the other side of it blowing a cloud of warm breath onto her hands and rubbing them together. She quickly opened the door and greeted her with a smile. The cold air hit her straight away “Hi, come on in.” After closing the door behind her Teresa followed her into the living room and Lacy gestured for her to sit down. “Coffee? Some pillows?

You look about ready to drop.” She had dark circles under her eyes and her shoulders were slumped.

Teresa pinched the skin at the top of her nose. “Busy night. I’ll be glad when I’m in my bed. And yes, just some coffee would be great, thanks. I think I can hold off the pillows for a little while longer.”

Two cups of coffee later and Lacy had finished giving Teresa her statement about what happened with Jake. Teresa had said that she found it hard to believe Jake would act so aggressively. Lacy had been surprised herself, even though she didn’t really know him, she’d seen him on campus and he was usually pretty quiet; walked around with his hood up mostly not seeming to interact with many of the other students. Her deputy friend explained that he’d been in trouble in the past for petty things like pinching a donation box from the pet store in town. And once she’d caught him spraying the words SMOKING KILLS. WEED HEALS on the back of a bus stop but she’d never heard of any violence, couldn’t even recall any fights he may have been involved in. She insisted that what happened with Nina, and then Lacy, was out of character.

Teresa closed her file and put her pen back in the inside pocket of her navy blue, duty jacket. “So you’ve no idea where Jake is?”Lacy shook her head. “My colleague and his friend searched for him for a while after but no joy.”

As Teresa got up to leave, she passed Lacy a business card. “Could you ask your friend to call me if he hears anything?”

“Of course,” she said, taking the card and putting it on the table beside her.

She walked Teresa to the door and after saying their goodbyes and promising to call each other to arrange meeting up for coffee, Lacy returned to her laundry in the kitchen. As she poured the detergent in the tray, she thought about what she’d do for the rest of the day. She had some assignments to mark, but wasn’t in the mood, so they could wait until she got back from the hospital. She could clean the house, but that didn’t sound very appealing either.

Maybe she would do nothing but watch movies until Michael returned, or even read a book, but something tense, a thriller, maybe, or a horror; definitely not a romance. Best not to feed that stupid fire she was determined to keep under control. Imagining Michael as the hero and herself as the love interest just wasn’t going to help the situation at all.

She was looking through a pile of books she’d recently bought, over by the wooden bookshelf, when the doorbell rang again. Teresa had probably forgotten to ask her about something. She was normally sharp as a pin, but going by how tired she looked just now, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

“Did you forget something. . . Oh!” The person standing on the other side of the door surprised her. Not Teresa but her neighbor.

“Mr Hinckley.” Damn. She’d promised to get him milk this morning. “I haven’t been to the store yet Mr Hinckley but if you still need some milk. . . ”

Her words trailed off as he walked straight into her hall without saying a word.

His gaze was hollow, like he was looking at her but wasn’t aware.

“Is everything okay? Mr Hinckley? You don’t look so−” She never got to finish her sentence because the old man’s arm flew up and he bashed her on the head with something heavy.

Darkness was all she knew after that.
********

Ehn!?


Nothing must happen to lacy oo

Or else......

Following you bumper to bumper

*****Continuation*****

“So, who is this woman again?” Michael asked Evo as they sped along Garrett Highway towards the airport.

He’d received a text from Evo earlier telling him he would pick him up at Lacy’s because he had some good news. He still wasn’t saying much; only that he’d been waiting on an important phone call and finally received it at four a.m while he was still outside the hospital. Now they were going to pick up some woman from the airport. Her flight was due in at ten forty-six. She, apparently, was a friend of a friend of Evo’s who owed him a big favor after he’d captured a creature that was responsible for the death of the guy’s son. That friend had agreed to talk to this woman and persuade her to meet with them. Something about her knowing who Varesh is.

But that was all Michael knew. He could pretty much guarantee that because this person was female, that Evo had already been there, but if he had, his buddy was keeping quiet about that too.

“I’ve told you once already. She’s agreed to meet us to talk about this Varesh guy. I don’t know what she knows about him, but anything’s gotta help right now, huh?” Evo said completely unaware of the speed limit as he raced down the highway.

“How do you know she’s trustworthy?” She could be on this Varesh’s side. He hoped to God that wasn’t the case or else she could be leading him straight to them.

“Oh, she’s trustworthy. We have a mutual enemy: demons. So trust me, she’s on our side.” Evo had a smug look on his face. He was feeling proud of himself for some reason but while he was being vague, he was irritating Michael.

It wasn’t really Evo’s fault though. Michael had been antsy for two reasons since leaving Lacy’s place: one, he wasn’t happy about leaving her on her own, but Evo had insisted he go with him. And then there was the fact that he couldn’t get her out of his mind and it was irritating the hell out of him. He couldn’t stop thinking about last night. As he’d suspected, he hadn’t been able to trust himself at all while Lacy lay next to him: As soon as he knew she was sleeping, he’d been stupid enough to stroke his fingers down her arm, enjoying the softness of her skin. Then she’d sighed and backed herself closer into him and he’d placed his arm around her before going to sleep.His dream had felt so real. He felt really bad about the way he’d kissed her, not that he hadn’t enjoyed it, really enjoyed it. He was so ashamed and annoyed at himself.

He’d spent the next few hours watching her sleep. The sound of her deep breaths had soothed him, and every now and again she would quietly moan words he didn’t understand. It made him smile though. It was like she had her own sleep language. She made his goddamn heart swell. Shit! He hardly recognized himself at the moment.

When he looked out of the driver’s side window, he was surprised to see the airstrip beside them. He’d been so lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t noticed the distance they’d covered. Evo must have sensed his mood because he’d kept quiet for the last part of the journey which Michael was grateful for. He suddenly felt bad for feeling irritated by him, he hadn’t deserved it.

Now Michael was back to being aware of his surroundings, he realized there was another reason he was glad he’d been pre-occupied by his inner-turmoil over Lacy: Evo’s musical taste hadn’t improved in their time apart. “What the hell is this you’re listening to?”

Evo shot him a look of utter bemusement, like Michael was supposed to know who the female country singer coming out of the stereo was. “It’s Faith Hill. . . What? She’s talented.”
“Jeez buddy. As soon as we get back, I’m buying you some new music.”

Thank God they were nearly there.

He needed a distraction and fast.

After checking the arrival time on the information screen−to make sure Evo’s woman’s plane would be landing on time−the two men walked through the small airport towards the arrivals lounge. They still had a little time until the plane was in so Michael ordered a coffee-to-go from the Wild Bean kiosk in the corner. They took a seat near the window.“I have a feeling this Varesh is going to be a piece of work.” Evo said, as he removed his sunglasses. It was the middle of October, and they were expecting snow any time, but Evo was always wearing those damned wrap arounds no matter what. Usually only took them off at night when his vision was restricted.

“Yeah. How does your lady friend know so much anyway?” Michael was eager to know more about the woman he was about to meet. A little prior information would have been nice. Why was Evo being so vague about her?

“Alethia.” Evo said.

“What?”

“Her name is Alethia. And she’s not my lady friend. I’ve never met her before.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed. “Then why would she come all this way to meet us, and at such short notice?” It seemed strange that a complete stranger was willing to do that. He assumed Evo knew her. He guessed that corrected his earlier assumption that the guy had slept with her.

Evo sat forward, arms leaning on his knees. “I told you already, I’m owed a favor.”He was beginning to get on Michael’s last nerve with his short, uninformative answers. “Not from her, though, right? Come on man, you’re not giving me anything here. I’m about to meet this woman and I know nothing about her. I’m not comfortable with this.”

Evo scrubbed his hand down his face and his eyes scanned around the lounge as if to make sure no one else was in earshot. “She’s different.”

Michael’s eyebrow raised and he gave Evo a look that urged him to continue. “Different how?”

“She’s. . . kind of powerful. And my friend said she may be able to help us.

In fact, when I spoke to her on the phone, she was already on her way to the airport. She seems keen to meet us. This is a good thing Mike, buddy. You trust me, right?”

He never mentioned it was her he’d spoken to on the phone. And what did he mean by powerful? Someone working for the government powerful? He gave Evo a quick nod of his head. “Powerful like how?”

Evo’s voice dropped to a whisper. “She’s not human.” Then he got up and joined the small group of people who had gathered waiting to greet the throng of passengers who’d begun to come through the exit doors, weighed down with luggage. Most of them had companions or were in small groups.

Michael went over and stood by him. The only person who had come through alone so far was a short, very round man with a thin mustache and a Yankees cap until. . .

Michael saw Evo’s eyes light up as a tall, slim, brunette−who was dressed in a knee length, tan, double breasted coat with fur around the collar−came through the doors, pulling along a small suitcase. Her tight black pants were covered by brown, knee high boots. She was the picture of elegance as she stopped to fumble with her coat before her eyes scanned the room.

“That’s gotta be her.” Evo said before almost sprinting towards her.

God help her, Michael thought as he followed him.

“Alethia?” She looked straight at Evo and smiled tentatively.

Michael noticed she had a small dimple in each of her cheeks. She looked to be in her early thirties and very human, but then again, so did he.“Yes. You must be Mr O’Reilly?” The woman outstretched her hand to Evo who took it immediately, gently shaking it while his gaze never left hers. “I’ve had quite an interesting chat about you with our mutual friend,” she said wryly.

Evo seemed to like it. “Please. Call me Evo, and this is my good friend Michael.”

She looked at Michael, her blue eyes narrowed with curiosity while it was his turn for the handshake. She lowered her voice. “Ah Yes. You’re the one Varesh is looking for. He’s not the kind you gain as an enemy easily. You must have really pissed him off.” Michael was surprised by her words. So she did know who Varesh was?

Well, that was a start. The fact that she was here with no hesitation, worried him though. Three things he would need to find out about her before he trusted her:

one, how well did she know this Varesh? He needed to be sure that she wasn’t working with him and had come here because she planned to deceive them. The second thing, Is she as powerful as Evo said? And finally, if she’s not human then what the hell is she?

“I haven’t done anything to him.” Michael replied coldly, informing her where he stood with the trust issue. Her eyes narrowed with her irreverent smile. “I highly doubt that,” she said before turning her attention back to Evo. “How long till we can eat? I’m starving.” She began to walk towards the exit, suitcase in tow, not bothering to look back to see if they followed.

They did though.

Michael looked at Evo who was happily enjoying watching her walk on ahead. “I think I’m in love with her which is bad.” Evo said, to which Michael rolled his eyes. “No, I’m serious. I mean, how am I going to concentrate on anything she has to tell us when she looks like that?”

Michael shoved his elbow into Evo’s arm. “I’m sure you’ll manage, you sexed up asshole.


#HappyNewMonth...

* * *

The journey back was an interesting one. Michael had learned nothing more in the time spent with Alethia and Evo, except that Evo’s flirting was something to behold. . . Or not, in Michael’s case. His buddy had tried every which way he could with Alethia but she wasn’t succumbing to his pretty impressive−as much as it was hard for Michael to admit−attempts to woo her. He’d never seen Evo have to try so hard. Alethia seemed amused by him, not at all bewitched, which was the case for most females who got in the way of Evo’s infamous charm.

Poor bastard wasn’t used to it.

Michael hadn’t quite figured the woman out yet. She was a peculiar character; that much he’d already established. Sometimes when she spoke, she sounded mature, wisdom poured from her suggesting she was much older than she appeared. Other times she was playful. The way she teased Evo, playing him in a mischievous way, resembled the behavior of a teenager. Not unlike Evo himself.

They finally arrived back in Oakland. Michael had said he wanted to swing by Lacy’s before anything else, to make sure she was okay. He’d promised he’d go with her to the hospital and he still would, but it would have to be later on tonight. The meeting with Alethia was number one priority; if he was going to let her help, then he wanted to know everything about her first.

As the SUV pulled up outside Lacy’s, it took less than a second for Michael to realize that her car wasn’t in the drive. She’d promised him she’d stay at home until he got back and she wasn’t the type to go back on her word. Even though she could’ve just popped to the store, or something as simple as that, his instincts were telling him there was something wrong, and he usually trusted them.
“Evo. Buddy. Have you got that special knife on you?” he asked, his heart rate increasing slightly, preparing for the worst.

Evo turned to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Just being cautious, that’s all.” As he walked up Lacy’s driveway, he heard the sound of two doors closing shut behind him, then the footsteps of Evo and Alethia following him to the house.

He got to the front door which was open slightly. By this time he’d slipped his own knife out from inside his jacket and, holding his breath, he slowly pushed the door and walked inside.

“Lacy?”

Silence.

He pointed down the hall, silently gesturing for Evo to check the other rooms which his buddy did with no hesitation. Michael went into the living room, still no sign of her. He noticed a cup on the coffee table which was half filled with coffee. He reached down and touched it with the back of his hand.

Cold, so it had been there a while. He didn’t like it one little bit.

“Lacy. Are you here?” Again there was no reply. He checked the kitchen.

Then a woman’s voice called out from the hall. Alethia’s.

“Uh, I think you need to see this.”

Michael raced out of the room catching sight of Evo doing the same thing at the other end of the hall. Evo shook his head as he left Lacy’s room, confirming she wasn’t there. When Michael looked down at what Alethia was pointing to on the floor, he sank to his knees. He stared at the droplets of blood trailing off towards the door where they stopped suddenly. Michael found it hard to breathe as he imagined Lacy being hurt and then probably carried out to her own car and taken somewhere.He barely registered Evo as he spoke.

“Shit. Man. That doesn’t look good.”

“Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Alethia asked.

Michael couldn’t seem to find his voice for a moment, but through the deep mixture of anguish and rage now pulsing through his veins he managed to produce some sort of sound.

“That bastard has her, Evo.”

“Who?” Alethia demanded, her voice ringing in Michael’s head.

Evo was quick to answer her this time. “That shit of a demon we captured.

He must have taken Lacy and no doubt”−he hesitated−“Varesh will have ordered it.”

All of a sudden Michael couldn’t hear beyond his own thoughts. How long has she been gone? What if they’d killed her already? His head started to pound. He was so filled with fury that his vision began to distort. Then his whole body started to vibrate. The walls around him appeared to rumble and through the haze he heard Evo’s voice.

“What the Bleep. . . ?”

What was happening to him?

Evo’s voice cut through again, this time with the kind of urgency that he’d never heard coming from his friend. “Do something Alethia!” He sounded. . .

scared?

The vibration continued, like he had two thousand volts of electricity travelling through every inch of his skin. Through his now severely reduced vision, he saw the walls moving. He was hallucinating, had to be. No. Wait. . .

This was real. He caught the fear in Evo’s eyes, his shocked expression confirming that Michael wasn’t the only one seeing what was happening.
Michael gripped his head on either side as a strange pressure began to build inside of it, as though someone had a foot pump on his brain and was seeing how far they could inflate it before it burst. He couldn’t stop it. Whatever was happening was beyond his control.

Everything seemed to blur into one, spinning around faster and faster until he couldn’t make anything out anymore. It was like he was in the eye of a hurricane with everything rushing, circling around him then. . .

Darkness.

Silence.

Nothing but the sound of his hitched breaths in his ears.

Then he was consumed by light; bright, white hot light that stung his eyes.

He threw his arm over his face and heard his friend’s voice groan beside him.

When Michael removed his arm, and after blinking a couple of times until he could see properly, he looked down to see Evo crouched over, his guts doing a damn good impression of Niagara Falls.

“What. . . the. . . Bleep. . . just happened?” Evo said in between retching.

When Michael looked around, he saw that they were alone in a long bright room with alabaster columns running along each side. The floor was covered in marble, also alabaster, and there were pale, delicate drapes across the far end.Where was Alethia?

Michael turned to help Evo. “You okay buddy?”

“Yeah,” he moaned as he got to his feet while still clutching his stomach.

“Man that was a bitch of a ride. Where the hell are we anyway?”

“I’ve no idea. And what happened to Alethia?”

“Beats me. . . One minute she was standing there with her eyes closed, gripping hold of something that was on the end of her necklace, the next I felt like I’d been sniffing PCP.” His buddy’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Michael. “Let me see you man.”

Michael sensed concern in Evo’s tone as he walked right up to him and placed his hands on his shoulders. His gaze was intense. “Thank God. Your eyes are back to normal. Are you feeling okay?”

Michael frowned. Why was he asking him that? His eyes always changed when he was really angry. “Why the concern? Not like you haven’t seen my eyes change before.”Evo nodded his head and dropped his hands from Michael’s shoulders.

“Oh, I know I have. . . but not the rest of your body glowing white I haven’t.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” It had to be the hallucinations. Evo must have had one too. He was getting confused. Had to be.

“And before you say it, it was before all of that spinning started.” His friend said as if he’d read his mind.

He wasn’t convinced. “How can you be sure?”

Evo paced around the big empty space. “I was well aware of my surroundings at that moment. And Alethia was still coherent. She seemed as surprised as I was. It was only after that happened that she actually listened to me and went into a trance. Then she started chanting or praying or some shit.”

Evo stopped and faced him again. “Oh yeah, there’s something else I forgot to mention too.

”Michael didn’t know how much more of these revelations he could take right now. What else? He grew horns. . . A tail? “What?” he snapped. It came out more harsh than intended.

Evo ignored it.

“Your rage made the walls shake.”

Now Michael was certain Evo was mistaken. How could that possibly happen? He’d been like he was for almost a year now and neither of those things had ever happened before.

Evo must have sensed his denial. “I’m telling you man, that spinny, stormy crap that just happened? That was Alethia−and remind me to thank her for making me hurl my guts up next time I see her, by the way−but the wall shaking thing. . . all you buddy.” he said all matter-of-factly Before Michael could respond, the veil of drapes at the other end of the room parted unhanded and two figures walked through, one being Alethia, the other a tall man with wavy brown hair that fell to his shoulders. His clothes were unusual: white linen trousers and a sleeveless drape of the same color, which fell over his hips, held together with a sheer gold cummerbund around his waist. He wore white sandals, their ribbons wrapped from his feet to his ankles.

The man had both hands behind his back as both he and Alethia gracefully ambled towards them. It was mature Alethia that faced them now as they stopped right in front of where he and his buddy stood; no sign of the playful female that had teased Evo earlier. Michael noticed Evo stiffen, but thought nothing of it.

Alethia spoke first. “This is Valtas. God of shadows.”

The stranger held out his hand, a golden cuff covered his wrist. “Welcome, gentlemen,” he said in a slightly accented voice that Michael couldn’t place. He shook Michael’s hand, then moved to Evo who now looked as pale as the guy’s clothes.

“Is this Heaven?” Evo asked, seeming to be awed by the man currently shaking his hand. Michael almost choked at Evo’s strange question. But Valtas simply smiled and shook his head. “No. You are in Asirus. No longer are you on Earth, though you are not yet in heaven.”

That’s what all of the spinning was about. Alethia had somehow materialized them here. But where exactly was here? Were they amongst the clouds or further beyond? He was stunned for a moment. Not only had he been to Hell, but now he’d visited the heavens. As a dead guy he’d seen a lot of strange shit and knew from experience that there was an afterlife and spirits and monsters. But this seemed too surreal; too impossible, even for him to get his head around. He couldn’t quite believe that he was standing in front of a god, a living breathing god. Now he understood why Evo was acting all polite and self-effacing around the guy. Bastard knew everything.

Valtus began to pace a little, hands behind his back and accentuating the thick muscle that covered his bare arms. He was powerful and stood easily at six and a half feet. His physique resembled Evo’s only he was much larger, as you would expect of a man of his stature.

“You are honored gentlemen. Only the gods enter Asirus. We do not allow for visitors of any kind in our realm,”−he turned to face Michael, caramel eyes locking onto his with a fierce stare−“Especially those who have returned from Hell. You are only permitted here now because my daughter tells me we have a mutual enemy and that you seek her help.”

His daughter? Whoa! Evo hadn’t lied when he’d said she was powerful, only powerful didn’t quite sum it up. She was a fucking goddess. Only Evo could enlist the help of an all powerful deity. He almost wanted to kiss the shit out of him.

Valtus continued with his gaze fixed solely on Michael. “Tell me. How is it that you managed to leave the underworld that you were banished to? It’s not easy to leave such a place unaided. ”The question was unexpected and plagued by suspicion.

“I can’t give you an answer because I don’t know.” It was the truth. He had no memory of how he’d returned. Only the intermittent memories of his torture, but even they weren’t clear. The pain was, though. He didn’t think he’d ever forget that.

“Father,” Alethia said. “It’s Varesh. He has returned. I believe he has taken a human woman hostage and he’s done it to get at this man.” She held her hand towards Michael.

Valtus’s eyes narrowed. “Why would he be after you?”

Michael remained stoic. “Again, I have no answer. I’d never heard of him until we captured one of his demons who then spoke about him to me. He told me Varesh had been looking for me for a long time. I don’t know this demon.”

But he would do soon, of that he was certain. Whoever, or whatever, he was, he would pay for taking Lacy. “Look, as much as I’m enjoying our little meeting here, I have something more important to do. Every moment wasted talking to you could be spent searching for my. . . for Lacy.”

“And how can you be sure you’ll find her? Alethia says you’ve requested her help, which I’m reluctant to allow.” Michael noticed Alethia fight back a frown. “My daughter is too important to me to get mixed up in some human’s unfortunate affairs, but you, I am intrigued by. Varesh has been our enemy for thousands of years. He is powerful and unfortunately wants to be more so, which is why I question what he wants with you.”Michael remained still as Valtas stepped closer. The god’s stare penetrated him intently as though he was trying to see right into his soul, if he still had one. No one said a word. Through his peripheral vision Michael saw Evo tense. He’d remained uncharacteristically quiet through their whole meeting. His buddy had his hand perched over one of his guns, as if a gun would do any good against a god. He looked like he expected things to turn sour at any minute.

Valtas was so close to Michael now that he felt his breath on his face as he spoke. “Because of my daughter’s persistence, Alethia will assist you in findingthe human woman, but once you do, you will not call on her again. Am I understood?”
Michael’s gaze flicked to Alethia and back to Valtas.

“You have my word,” he replied and as Valtas stepped away, Michael relaxed his shoulders and allowed himself to breathe again. Jesus, he’d felt the male’s power pouring off him, a power he wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that’s for sure.

He noticed Evo relax too. His buddy raised his eyebrows at Michael and also let out a relieved sigh. He’d obviously felt that power too, his pasty color was evidence of that.

Next, Valtas walked up to Alethia. Without speaking, he held out his hand.

A small glow of bright light formed right above it and after it faded, a jewelled, silver ring appeared in his palm. He brought it down in front of Alethia whose mouth curled up in what looked like a wicked smile before she took it from him and placed it on the middle finger of her left hand. The damn thing resized on its own until it fit.

“I trust I don’t have to tell you to take very good care of this?” Valtas said.

“Only you are to use it. Its captives will be dealt with accordingly.”

Its captives? What the hell did he mean?

Valtas turned on his heels. “I expect you to keep me informed, Alethia,” he called out over his shoulder as he walked away. The woman remained silent until her father had left the room.

“Pompous ass!” she whispered. Evo fought a laugh. “Let’s get out of here,” she said as she grabbed the pendant around her neck and the room began to spin.

..

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“. . . I’m sure. I’ve seen the way he looks at her.”

Silence.

The ache in Lacy’s head was pretty intense as she awoke from what seemed like a very real nightmare. Was it a nightmare? And who was that she could hear talking? Through the haze and confusion, she thought she’d heard a male voice, but that too was probably part of her nightmare. She felt groggy, nauseous, in fact her whole body felt heavy, weighed down by something strong.

“You have my word, my lord.”

There was that voice again. She heard no reply so assumed whoever it was was talking on a phone. It hurt to move her eyelids. She slowly opened them, but everything was blurred. Blinking once, twice, her vision began to clear but she still strained to see her surroundings. She blinked again until the room slowly came into focus.

At first she was confused, her brain refusing to work through the throbbing pain in her head. She inhaled a deep breath and almost choked on the heavy stench of urine and God only knew what else.

Then a vision flashed in her mind, a memory so vivid yet so hard to fathom: Mr Hinckley. Oh, God. . . Mr Hinckley had hit her? Hadn’t he?
She realized she’d been abducted.

No! She fought to stay silent even though every part of her wanted to scream, but she managed to compose herself Where the hell was she?

She was lying on a bed but she couldn’t move. Her arms were stretched above her head tied together by her wrists, probably to the headboard. Her feet, the same: bound at the ankles. She summoned the strength to lift her head slightly, wincing, and saw that she was in a large room, some sort of disused warehouse it looked like.

There was a lamp with no shade to her left on what looked like a metal hospital trolley. It was hard to make out anything beyond the shallow pool of light that fell over her, but she thought she could see dirt and debris covering most of the surrounding floor. She noticed a room just off to her right side−door ajar, light on. That was where the voice had come from. She heard metal crashing from inside which startled her. Soon after, the door swung open.

Shit!

She closed her eyes and pretended she was still unconscious.

“I know you’re awake. I can smell your fear,” a raspy voice said. Lacy couldn’t will her heart rate to slow down. She ignored him and kept her eyes closed.

“Hey. Bitch!” He was closer this time.
SLAP!
Lacy cried out at the sudden pain on her cheek as her head whipped to the side. She tried desperately to keep the tears inside her eyes but failed as they rolled down either side of her temples, wetting her ears. Her head already felt like it had been kicked around a school yard and now one side of her face burned like hell too. She looked at the man without saying a word, taking in as much of his appearance as she could through her watery eyes.

He looked to be about forty. His eyes were deep set, though she couldn’t tell what color, framed by thick dark eyebrows. His hair was short, recently cut and black, but dusty−much like his face. She found his clothing strange: navy suit under a tatty gray coat with a dirty white shirt and a matching blue tie. It wasn’t the kind of clothing she’d expect a kidnapper to wear, not that she’d had any experience with one before. He looked ready for the office.

He stood sniggering at her.

Somehow she managed to speak. “Where is Mr Hinckley?” Her voice was hoarse. She swallowed to try and help it, but her mouth was bone dry. “What have you done with him?”

The man frowned as though he didn’t know who she was talking about, but then seemed to remember, “The old man? I got rid of him.”

Lacy choked back a sob, determined not to let him see a weakness.

“He served his purpose.” He put his hand near her face like he was contemplating stroking the very same cheek which he’d just slapped−Oh, God No. . . Please−but he pulled away. He swung around, grabbed an old, wooden chair and sat on it the wrong way round, leaning his elbows on the back and leering at her. She hadn’t noticed he had a knife, but he was now twiddling it through his fingers. The way he stared at her sent a chill through her blood.
“What do you want with me?” she asked, trying to hide the fact that she was trembling.

He grinned. “What I want, and what I’m allowed, are two very different things.” He licked his bottom lip, eyes narrowing as they looked over the length of her body in a way which made her skin crawl. “Unfortunately, for now, I have to use you as bait, but while my master is away that don’t mean I can’t have a bit of fun while we wait.” He reached over and ran the blunt side of the knife down her cheek. She inhaled sharply, and clamped her jaw tight to stop herself from crying, as the back of the cold metal blade scraped down her flesh.

The man’s eyes widened as he sensed her fear; he enjoyed how frightened she was. She had to put a stop to that right now so she forced herself to exhale slowly and tried her damndest to push her fear to the back of her mind.

Bait? What for?

She couldn’t bring herself to ask the question, but she didn’t have to.

“So how is your teacher friend? Do you think he cares for you enough to come save you?”Lacy’s stomach sank, a deep dread washed over her as she realized. . .

Michael. No. What did he want with. . . ?

Suddenly, Michael’s words from last night rushed through her mind, “There are things you don’t know about me. Things I can’t tell you.”

Oh, God. He must be involved in something really big for someone to have kidnapped her over it. That’s why he couldn’t tell her. Was it drugs? Gang related? Michael and Evo? They were in some deep shit she was sure. She closed her eyes, unable to cope as all of the thoughts of what he could be involved in spun through her mind. “You don’t have to worry. I haven’t done anything bad.” he’d said.

She turned her head to face her kidnapper. “Who are you and why are you after Michael?”The knife touched her again, starting from the top of her temple, only this time it felt sharper. “It’s not me that’s after him, although, he’d be much better off if it were. I would just end him. When my master gets a hold of him, he’ll wish that I had.” As he spoke his eyes glazed over like he was imagining something. She gasped, holding her breath again as she felt a sharp sting as he pressed the knife down harder, slicing her skin just by her eyebrow.

Her captor paused as a cell phone began to ring from the other room. He grunted, then shot up from the chair and disappeared from view.

Air burst from her lungs and she began to feel light headed. Don’t you dare pass out! She warned herself. You don’t know what he’ll do to you. She felt a warm trickle of blood roll from her temple and a familiar feeling of panic began to rise up from her toes. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to think of something that would take her mind off where she was. Last thing she needed was to lose it here.

A vision of Michael’s face sitting across a table from her filled her mind. He was laughing, his blue eyes sparkling like sapphires over the flame of a candle.

She wished she was back at Carlito’s, back at that night when they’d both first spent some time together. She’d liked him from the start. He’d seemed kind and gentle and hadn’t taken advantage of her when she’d so stupidly thrown herself at him. Where was he now? She wondered. Had he returned to find her gone yet? She hoped so. Maybe he’d informed the cops and they were now looking for her. But what if they couldn’t find her.

She heard the door open and her kidnapper came rushing through holding a piece of paper. He returned to the chair that he’d occupied before, but moved it closer so that the back of it was touching the mattress. His twisted grin chilled her to her very core.

He flipped his cell phone open and began to dial a number from the piece of paper he was holding. He waited.

She could just about hear the voice answer on the other end of the line.

The kidnapper spoke. “I have something you want.”

Lacy’s heart sank. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. Michael’s voice bellowed through the phone’s speaker. Her heart pounded so hard in her ears, she had to struggle to make out what he was saying.
Where is she you bastard. She better be okay or I swear I will make sure you suffer you son of a bitch!”

Her tears were back. She thought of him returning to her house to find her gone and couldn’t bear it. How would he find her? How long had she even been there?

Her thoughts were cut off when her kidnapper laughed at Michael’s words.
“Met my mother have you? She was more of a bitch than you could ever imagine,” he mocked. “You think your words scare me? Don’t bother. You want to see your woman again, you better listen carefully. My master wishes to do a trade. Her for you. That’s the only way she gets to live.”

“You fucking asshole!” Michael’s words came thick and fast.

“I am indeed. And you’re being offered a chance to save someone you care about. We both know you will come.”

“Oh I’ll come, and I’ll end you and your master. I promise you that.”

Lacy’s eyes widened as she listened, wishing there was something she could do to prevent Michael from putting himself in danger. She almost screamed with frustration. She was the one who’d put Michael in this position. If only she’d been more careful, but how was she to know that Mr Hinckley was there to hurt her? What had happened to him to make him hit her? When she’d looked into his eyes as he’d stood in front of her they’d looked blank, dead even, like he’d been in some sort of trance. Someone must have forced him to do it, but how?
All those questions weren’t helping right now. She was here, and Michael would come as her captor demanded.

Another laugh escaped the man who was now standing at the bedside.

Michael’s voice was stern. “I want to speak to her. I want to know she’s still alive.”

The man didn’t answer him; instead, he put the cell to her ear. “Speak!”

She struggled for air. At that moment she wanted to bawl into the phone, to tell him not to come for her because she feared if he did they would both be killed. She had to sound strong. She would. “Michael?”

“Lacy, are you hurt?”

“No, I’m okay,” her voice trembled beyond her control.

“I’m coming to get you. I promise. Stay strong−”

“No!” she cried as his voice was pulled away from her ear. More tears streamed from her eyes as she tried to hold on to it, to keep the sound of Michael’s voice in her head, trying to filter out her captor’s voice as he continued to speak on the cell. Would she ever see Michael again? That she didn’t know but whatever happened to her now, she would keep his voice in her memory right up to the point of her inevitable death, holding on to him with everything she had.
The man’s voice grew louder, more savage, pulling her from her thoughts.

Now she had no choice but to hear him as he spat his venomous threat into the phone.

“If I even sense that you haven’t come alone, believe me when I say that your bitch will die in the most horrific way possible, which I’ll enjoy immensely, after what you attempted to do to me last night.” that sickening laugh again ”What a shame you failed.”
Last night? What did he mean? Michael and Evo had encountered this monster before? So many questions swirled around her head, sending her into a tailspin. This must have been the kind of trouble Michael was in, the reason why he’d said he couldn’t be with her. Now she was starting to wonder if they’d looked for Jake at all last night. Perhaps they were too busy dealing with this other problem instead.

Her abductor ended the call and peered down at her. He no longer had his creepy smile, just a deep scowl twisting his features, turning him into something much more sinister than before. “Let’s see how much he cares for you, shall we?” he hissed, before reaching down and taking hold of a chunk of her hair, fanning it through his fingers.

What was wrong with his eyes?

She swore she’d just seen the slightest hint of red glowing around the edges of his irises, bleeding out into the white before disappearing again. It was probably a reflection from the lamp or something.

He walked away from her and went back into the other room, pushing the door closed behind him.

Lacy closed her eyes and immediately saw Michael’s face again. He would be coming here for her now and she really couldn’t let that happen. She had to at least try and free herself. She began pulling her wrists as hard as she could, but all that did was cause the rope to burn as it rubbed against her skin. She tried twisting and pulling this time, holding her breath and squeezing her lips tightly together to stop from screaming out at the pain. . . Still no use.

She tilted her head back to look at the headboard that she was bound to. The rope was twisted and tied over and over again through the metal slats that were welded to the frame.

No way was she getting out of this.

She strained her head to look at her feet and almost screamed in frustration when she assessed the thick metal chain that bound her ankles in much the same way. She began to wiggle her feet anyway. Pulling and twisting, but again, it was no use. The chains were even tighter than the rope. She bit back a curse and blinked her eyes a couple of times to stop the tears−tears of anger this time−that had begun to fill her eyes. She huffed, lifted her head and narrowed her eyes as she tried again to see beyond the glow of light around the bed.

It was still too dark to make anything out. Distant shadows were all she could see, of furniture or equipment of some sort. She knew wherever she was, it was big, going by how her and her abductor’s voices had echoed, his more so than hers.
A noise, like metal clanging on concrete, flicked her head to the side. Her eyes widened as she waited with baited breath for something to come into view.

Her heart pounded loudly, the only sound in the silence that followed.

Nothing.

She began to slowly breathe again as she told herself it was probably a rat or something, hoped it was anyway. No. Not hoped. . . she hated rats.

Something caught in her peripheral vision, the opposite side from where the noise had come from. She reluctantly turned her head, but there was nothing there.

There it was again. A little over to the right this time. She jerked her head to look for whatever was catching her eye but still. . . nothing

She was losing her mind. That had to be it. The surrounding darkness was playing tricks on her and she didn’t appreciate it. She was scared enough as it was without scaring herself to death as well.

This time she saw it. A shadow moved past the bed so quickly she nearly missed the damn thing. Her breath caught. What the hell was that?

Then a figure appeared from the darkness at the foot of the bed. A woman, dressed in a long white nightgown, her long brown hair ran down past her shoulders, curling at the ends. She looked to be in her early twenties maybe, it was hard to tell, she wasn’t exactly solid.

Lacy groaned. Not another damned hallucination. Now really wasn’t the time.
The woman began to walk towards her, her form flickering ever so slightly, like Lacy was watching an old video tape that was damaged. Suddenly, Lacy felt her whole body go cold. She shivered, goose flesh tingling all over her skin, and watched with gritted teeth as the woman reached out a hand toward her.

This is all in your head. She’s not real. She’s not real.

Lacy blinked hard over and over again, hoping that one of the times when she opened her eyes the vision would be gone but no such luck. Her mind was determined to destroy what little amount of sanity she had left.

Please, just go away.

The figure came closer to the bed, her arm outstretched in front of her like she was reaching out for something. Her face was gaunt, eyes glazed over as she stared at Lacy.

Something wasn’t right. If this was a hallucination, it was very realistic.

All of a sudden the woman’s hand came down and grabbed Lacy’s ankle.

Shit!

She was real all right. Lacy bit down on her lip to stop herself from screaming as the woman’s grip got tighter, causing her ankle to sting from the pressure.
What the hell? She didn’t dare speak the words through fear of her abductor returning so she remained as quiet as possible, forcing her mouth to stay closed.

She felt something snap−praying it wasn’t her ankle−and almost cried out with the last sudden jolt of pain.

Then. . .

Please update

With Michael still discovering himself, I hope he can face the fierce battle ahead.

Nice work bruv

******Continuation ******


The pressure and pain eased and she felt the chains fall away from her.

Before Lacy could register what had happened, the woman had moved to the head of the bed so quickly Lacy hardly even saw it. She noticed how pretty the woman was now that she was closer. “Who are you?” Lacy asked in the faintest whisper. The woman’s head angled to the side as she looked down at her. She didn’t speak, only proceeded to do the same at her wrists as she’d done at Lacy’s feet.

Lacy held her breath in anticipation of the same pain she’d just felt.

Snap!

Her hands were now free. She rubbed at her wrists.

In spite of her complete shock at what had just happened, and at the realization that maybe, after all this time, the visions she’d always seen were never actually hallucinations, she still somehow managed to climb off the bed and stand up. When she looked around to thank the woman she’d disappeared.

Before her mind began trying to convince itself that the woman hadn’t been real after all, and that she was actually losing her mind, Lacy reminded herself that imaginary women in their nightgowns could not snap thick rope and chain with their hands.
She shook herself. No time to think about it.

Now she had to move, and fast.
She looked over at the door to the other room and to her relief it was still closed. Forcing her eyes to focus she hurried through the large space, careful not to kick anything or trip over as she struggled to navigate through the dark, thick shadows without making a sound. Up ahead, she noticed there were a few small windows that had been blackened out, one of which had a beam of pale light bursting through a small gap in the paint. Was it still daylight? As it was the only source of light, she headed in that direction and as she got closer, two large metal doors became visible.

Please don’t be locked. Please don’t be locked. Her pleas went unanswered.

Her stomach sank when she saw a thick chain, much like the one that had bound her ankles, threaded through the slide lock and held in place by a large padlock.

Shit!

Her eyes frantically scanned the darkness. She didn’t have much time until that bastard returned to find her gone and when he did he would surely be pissed. God knows what he’d do to her. Besides that, another reason was spurring her on: If she managed to get away, it’d save Michael from risking his life to rescue her. She inhaled a deep breath and willed herself to a relative calm so she could focus for a minute. When she did, she noticed that one of the large doors looked slightly different to the other and then she saw why: a smaller door, normal height, was inside of it.

Oh, my God. Through all of my damn stressing I almost missed it, she thought to herself as she quietly undid the bolt at the top. She noticed another towards the bottom, unlocked that one too and then pushed. It didn’t budge. Her eyes narrowed, focusing on a keyhole.

Shit!

It must be locked.

She pushed again, but it was no use.

Tears began to sting her eyes. How cruel was it that she’d been set free from her binds, but was now locked in the damn building? There had to be another way. She was about to turn around, but froze as she was hit by a familiar sensation. Her body had gone cold as it had on the bed, and no sooner had she realized why, an arm reached past her, its hand flattening against the lock. She turned to see the brown haired woman standing next to her. Immediately, a faint click sounded and the door pushed open to reveal the blackened night outside; a rush of sweet, chilled air hit her instantly. Maybe she was going to make it after all.

She turned to the spirit and whispered, “Thank you,” then watched as she faded away.

Lacy shot out of the warehouse and into the grounds of a junk yard. The light she’d seen through the window was caused by floodlights that lit up the whole yard. Twisted metal heaps that were once cars were piled up high in organized rows stretching out as far as she could see. She never thought it possible to feel claustrophobic in such a vast open space but she did.

Suddenly a loud roar came from inside the building, the echo of which filled the expanse of the disused warehouse until it reached Lacy, hitting her full in the face. Fear spiked through her veins and she ran. As fast as her legs were able to carry her, she ran for her life.
Her breath rushed in and out as she ran through the tall maze of metal. The moon reflected on the damp floor of the junk yard, helping to illuminate the way. She reached the end of the aisle only to be faced with more of the same.

She looked both ways and couldn’t see an end to the rows upon rows of stacked up cars.

There has to be a way out of here.

Lacy gasped as she heard her captor’s malevolent laughter filling the air as though it was flying around, travelling on the cold night breeze. She picked a direction and ran, hoping that she’d find a way out of there. It had to end somewhere, right?

Her head whipped around to the sound of the man’s sinister laugh in her ear, much quieter and a lot closer, as though he was running beside her, in fact, she could have sworn she’d felt his breath stroke her neck but he wasn’t there. Her heart began to race and freezing cold tears flicked off her cheeks as she fought to stay upright on her weakening legs. She kept checking behind to see if he was following but there was still no sign of him. She could only hear his voice.

Somehow he was projecting it, tormenting her. Her lungs burned, her chest ached but she didn’t stop running.After checking over her shoulder once more she went ploughing into a dark figure: her captor. His laugh was the same as she’d just heard only his face was still. The sound wasn’t coming from his mouth, but yet she still heard it echoing all around the junkyard. She screamed and he spun her so she faced away from him, locking his arms around her.

“Get off me,” she cried, frantically trying to break free from his hold. Her energy was fading and she struggled for breath. “Please.”

His hand covered her mouth and he whispered next to her ear. “Now I get to hurt you.” His raucous laughter grated in her ears.

She attempted to scream, for all the good it would do, but it just came out as a muted grunt. She knew she’d signed her death warrant when she’d decided to run. If her kidnapper had planned to let her go in exchange for Michael she highly doubted that would be the case now. He was pissed off.

She still struggled in his grip; no way was she dying without a fight. Not after how close she’d come to escaping.

“Stop it bitch or I’ll just snap your neck right here.” His voice sounded a lot deeper than usual and almost like there were two of him speaking.
She doubted he would. If he killed her now he’d lose his leverage.

It wasn’t her kidnapper’s ominous threat that made her body freeze. It was the voice that came from the shadows, a voice that both filled her with hope and fear.

“Don’t you fucking dare harm her you son of a bitch!”

Michael. She feared for them both now.

“Well, well.” her captor said, keeping his grip tight over her mouth. “Didn’t you show up just in time? Shame though, I was about to have some fun. Perhaps

I still will, now you’re here to watch.”

He brought his arm up and Lacy felt something sharp dig into her neck. She inhaled sharply through her nose and her eyes widened and locked onto Michael’s.

Michael’s hands went up as if to show he had no weapons. “Easy. I’m here just like you wanted.” His voice had lost all the anger. He took a step closer then paused. “You hurt her, the deal’s off.”

“And you’re alone?”

“You know that already. Now summon him.”

Michael’s hands remained where they were. Lacy could see in his face that he knew with the knife being so close to her throat, one wrong move and she was dead. She tried but couldn’t stop trembling and could hardly breathe due to the fact that every inhale pushed the blade deeper into her skin.

“I said summon him.” Michael demanded.

“I don’t have to. He’s already here.”
Lacy saw a large figure appear behind Michael. From out of nowhere! She tried to shout, to warn him. Then felt a piercing sting as the knife cut her. It worked. Michael whipped around, but was immediately thrown backwards by some sort of invisible force.

What the hell?

Lacy was suddenly thrown free. She hit the ground with a thud, but managed to shuffle herself into a corner out of the way where all she could do was watch with absolute horror as the two men descended on Michael.

Thanks for tha update bro... More brain..

Happy birthday to me!!!!!!!!!

Preciousbouy:
Happy birthday to me!!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday sir wullnp

Mczigx:
Happy birthday sir wullnp

Thanks bro

Preciousbouy:
Happy birthday to me!!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday to you!!! Many happy return of the day long life and prosperity!

Dranoid:
Happy birthday to you!!! Many happy return of the day long life and prosperity!

Thanks bro

****CHAPTER SEVENTEEN*****

“Now is as good a time as any, Alethia.”

Michael called out right before he got a heavy boot in his abdomen. He flew through the air, landing against a hunk of metal which caved under the weight of him. He jumped to his feet as quickly as his legs would let him and ran at Varesh. He knew he was only fighting to hold him off until Alethia intervened in whatever way she was planning, and wished to hell she’d hurry up about it.

Just as Michael was about to charge into Varesh’s six feet seven−at least−frame he disappeared into thin air leaving Michael to crash into his minion instead. Whatever. . . Either one would do as long as he kept them both away from Lacy.

They hit the ground and skidded along the asphalt. Michael swung at the bastard who−and he had no idea why he noticed at this moment−was wearing a suit. "Some poor office bloke on his way to work that he’d found no doubt". He connected with his jaw. Of course all that did was jerk the demon’s head back a little and make it even more riled than it already was.

The demon maneuvered his leg under Michael and kicked out, once again sending him backwards through the air. When he landed, he cracked the back of his skull. He lifted up onto his elbows and shook away the stars that had filled his vision temporarily. He reached around his head and felt a wet patch in his hair. When he looked at his hand it was soaked with blood. “Son of a−” The demon charged towards him.
Michael jumped up, but the bastard crashed right into him, the force pushed him back until his back got slammed up against a wall of scrap metal. He felt something sharp puncture his skin above his right kidney just as he heard Lacy crying out his name. He looked down to see that he’d been impaled on a piece of metal tubing, a goddamn tailpipe?

He glanced over to where Lacy was huddled between two cars. When his gaze met hers, she gasped. Her eyes widened, her face filled with bewilderment as her hand slowly covered her mouth. When Michael flicked his eyes back to the demon minion who was now snarling in his face, he knew why Lacy had reacted that way. The demon’s face was illuminated by the white glow Michael was now emitting from his eyes, which was always the case when he was angry.

She’d seen them.

He didn’t have time to worry about that now. Besides, she’d also seen his back eat the end of a tailpipe and was about to watch him walk away from it unaffected so, yeah, he knew he’d be having a certain conversation with her once this was over He pushed the demon backwards with all of his strength and managed to free himself from the metal. Without hesitation, he punched the guy under his chin and before his head had chance to correct itself he punched again, then twice more. The demon only stumbled backwards a couple of steps, but it was enough for Michael to gain back his momentum. As the demon looked back at Michael he wiggled his jaw, his eyes now glowing crimson, just like he’d seen in Jake’s and another demon’s eyes in the alleyway all those months ago when he’d saved Evo. This bastard was as strong as that one had been too.

Michael braced himself for what would come at him and sure enough the bastard pulled out a knife.

“When you are mine, I’m going to enjoy slicing your flesh from your bones,” he hissed as he began to pace around Michael like a lion circling his prey.
Michael looked at the knife, then smiled. “You think that will hurt me?”

The minion laughed. “Maybe this won’t. But that will.”

“MICHAEL!” Lacy cried out.

He was just about to turn around when a white hot pain shot through his entire body, burning every inch of him like he’d imagine hot molten lava to feel if it were poured over his skin. He would have fallen to his knees in agony, except there was something stopping his body from collapsing. He looked down and. . .

What. The. Bleep?

A glowing hand protruded from his stomach. Despite the intense pain Michael turned his head in stunned silence to see Varesh was standing behind him. He’d pushed his hand right through his stomach. Bleep!

Michael let out a pained roar.

Varesh laughed with deep satisfaction. “I have waited for this day for a long time. I must thank you for making it easy for me. I expected a much harder battle with you given the power you are rumored to possess. Now, you have a choice to make. Die, or join us.”

Michael couldn’t think past the acid heat that was now surging through his entire body. He heard Varesh’s words, but nothing he said made any sense. He tried to speak, but it was no use.

The distant cries of a female voice confused him. It was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“STOP! You’re killing him,” she pleaded.

Then he remembered. Lacy! He had to keep her safe, but his body was paralyzed.

Varesh’s voice shouted out to his minion. “Kill her!”

“NO!” Michael roared. He managed to open his eyes and saw the other demon stalking towards Lacy. The fear in her eyes pained him more than what Varesh was doing and when he tried with all of his strength to move he couldn’t. He was helpless.

In the next instance, his vision began to change. Everything around him grew brighter and began to spin.

NO! This can’t be happening. Not now.

But this was it. He was finally dying and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing he could do to save Lacy either. As his vision began to fade he heard muffled voices shouting out.

“What’s going on?” A male voice penetrated the fog now filling Michael’s mind.

“Alethia!” another voice shouted. “What business do you have here,

Alethia?”

Then a feral growl filled the air. The sound was close to him so it must have been from Varesh. “You will die for this,” the demon shouted.

He forced his eyes open and everything was brighter now. This was what he’d longed for through his torture all that time ago, the light that he’d heard appeared before you died. He felt the burning beginning to ease, a peace rushing through him like a waterfall dousing the flames that had been so rampant over his skin and through his veins. Then everything went quiet and he felt like he was floating. Flying through an expanse of nothingness, unable to see or hear, just feel. This weird sensation must have been his passing. He was finally going to where he was meant to be. If this is what true peace feels like, I’ll take it, he thought. And in that moment he didn’t want anything else.
His weightless body touched down onto something solid, then he felt something touching his arm. As he slowly opened his eyes a blurry shadow appeared over him and a voice grew louder in his mind. “. . . wake up.

Michael.” He knew that gentle voice, but it took him a moment to place it.

Lacy. He blinked and his vision began to clear. Lacy was leaning over him, her face was like an angel’s. Was she an angel? Had she died too?

“Michael. Talk to me. We’re safe.” The moment his brain kicked into gear, like someone had jump started the thing and begun to rev the engine to give it more power, everything came back to him. He sat up quickly and looked down at his stomach, feeling panicked and a little dizzy.

“Where are we?” his voice croaked.

Lacy placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re at my place. We’re safe.” She reassured him again.

“Where’s Alethia?”

“You mean the woman who helped us?” Michael nodded. “I don’t know. I saw her appear from nowhere and then she did something impossible and those men disappeared right in front of my eyes. I don’t really know what happened after that. Then suddenly we were here, just the two of us.” She shook her head in disbelief. “How. . . How is any of that possible?”

He placed both his hands on Lacy’s face. “Are you okay?” Remembering the last thing he saw was the demon prowling towards her.

She nodded her head slowly. “Yes,” she whispered. But there was something in her expression that he couldn’t place. Shit. She’d seen his eyes.

Before he could say anything to her, she placed her hands in his and pulled them away from her face.
You’re wounded.” She reached down and pulled at his coat to get a better look. He twisted his head around to see a bloody hole in the fabric where the tailpipe had penetrated him. Shit! He pulled himself up from the floor. Lacy followed him, grabbing hold of his arm to steady him when he wobbled a little.

“Thank you.” he said to her, noticing a kind of sadness in her eyes.

She reached down to grab the hem of his shirt, which was soaked with blood, but he put his hand on hers to stop her. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Lacy’s eyebrows pulled down into a frown. “I saw what happened. You need to go to the hospital and have it looked at. You’re bleeding a lot.”

“Really, I’m fine.”

She pulled the shirt up anyway and gasped. “Oh, my God.” Her hand covered her mouth and her eyes widened. “We need to call an ambulance, now.” She went to turn around and Michael grabbed her shoulders, holding her still in front of him. “Jesus, Michael. You have a big hole in your back and−”

“Lacy. Listen to me,” he interrupted. “I’m fine. I promise you.” She looked confused, bewildered, which was understandable. She inhaled as though she was about to say something, but stopped herself. Instead, she stared into his eyes for a moment and then the expression on her face suddenly changed to something more like disbelief which told him she’d just remembered what she’d seen.


“Your eyes. . . What happened to your eyes back there?” She stepped away from him.
There was no hiding it any longer.

He knew he had no other choice but to be honest with her. He owed her the truth and now he was going to tell her. Everything. Maybe she would understand why he’d run from her at every opportunity. Maybe she would run from him once she knew. The latter was probably for the best.

He began to move them over to the sofa. “What the hell is going on, Michael?” She walked with him and they sat down next to each other. “None of that could have been real right? It’s not possible that any of that really happened. Tell me I’m completely crazy and I’ll believe it right now.”

He shook his head. “You’re not crazy, Lacy.”

Where to begin?

He inhaled deeply and let his breath out slowly stroking to find the right words. In the next few minutes she was either going to think he was a nut job or that he was some sort of monster. Neither one he was prepared for but it couldn’t be avoided anymore. She’d seen too much to accept some lame attempt at a logical explanation, and he knew she wasn’t stupid enough to believe it anyway. He had no other choice but to come out and say it.


#This is my birthday present for all my fans... There's still more to come today.......

“I’m not human.”

He watched her face for any kind of reaction, but her expression remained blank. He continued. “The men who abducted you aren’t human and neither is Alethia.” He took one of her hands in his and covered it with his other. “Before I explain things I want you to know that everything I tell you now is the god’s honest truth. And that I have only kept this from you to keep you safe. Okay?”

She looked up at him through her long eyelashes and nodded her head.

“A little under a year ago something happened to me. I was murdered.”

He heard her sudden intake of breath.

“I don’t know who did it or why, all I know is that I didn’t pass over to where I should have, instead I ended up in Hell. I don’t really remember my time there, and I am pretty sure that’s for the best. I don’t even know how I got free, but ever since I did, I’ve been trapped here on earth as a spirit of some kind. Or even a demon. Hell, I don’t know what I actually am but I don’t think I’m the same as those demons who took you.

“Anyway, I figured I must be like this for a reason, but what that is I’ve yet to figure out. The next thing I’m going to tell you is going to be even harder to believe. You know the monsters and ghosts you read about when you were younger and some of the things you’ve seen in movies, they’re real Lacy, they exist in a different plain which is not really part of our world but sometimes those monsters cross over and end up right here on earth. I don’t know how but it’s true. I’ve spent the last year hunting and tracking them down and sending

them back to wherever they came from.

“I came to Oakland because I suspected something supernatural was killing the students here and I was right. They didn’t just decide to kill themselves, they were pushed to do it by a demon. It possessed each of them and made themjump to their deaths. Just after Nina had jumped and we found her lying on the ground I saw the demon leave her body. It had possessed Jake which is the reason he was acting so strange. It’s also the reason he came after you. I believe he would have killed you if you hadn’t gotten away.”

Lacy’s other hand had moved to her mouth. She choked back a sob. “Oh, God.”

“The man that took you is that same demon, and the other one is his master, who, from what we know, is very powerful. I don’t know why they are after me, but I do know that I’m the reason they took you and I’m so, so sorry about that.”

“We? You mean Evo knows about all of this too?”

“Yes.” As he looked into her eyes, which were now glistening with unshed tears, his chest tightened with the tremendous guilt he felt over what had happened to her and what she now knew. He needed to help her process the things he was telling her; help her understand that, even though these things existed, and knowing this meant her life would never be the same, he would do anything to keep her safe.

She just stared at him with a complete look of despair on her face. Her lips parted and for a moment it seemed like she didn’t know what to say. She only managed a whisper.
“Is Evo also. . . ”
“No. Evo’s human just like you.”

“How. . . ” she cleared her throat and shook her head, “How can I believe any of this? I’ve seen things today that I truly can’t explain, but how can I accept that what you’re telling me is true?”

Michael swallowed hard. “I understand how hard it must be for you. It took me enough time to accept what had happened to me, but it’s true, all of it.”

A tear fell from her eye and he reached up and wiped it with his thumb.

“How can you seem so. . . real? I can touch you, feel you. I kissed you. . . ”

“Because this body is real, but. . . ” For some reason the words stuck in his throat. He was hesitant because he feared that as soon as he told Lacy the next part, she would run from him. And even though it would be the safest thing for her to do, he didn’t know how he’d feel once she was gone. Truth is, since he’d met her he’d been able to pretend he had some kind of a life, a purpose, and that he truly was Michael Warden, just a normal guy who worked at the university.

A guy that Lacy wanted to be with and who wanted to be with her. He’d considered it. Imagined them being together; imagined kissing her properly, making love to her. But none of it was real. It could never be.

“But what?” she pressed.

He lowered his gaze, unable to look her in the eye. “But it’s not really mine.”

The instant he heard her gasp his heart sank.

Now she knew.

Everything.

He couldn’t be a coward, so he looked at her again. “I kinda took it from someone who was dying. I’d used other host bodies, but there was one consequence of that that I couldn’t deal with: it was dangerous, could kill the person, or if it didn’t kill them it damaged them in some way. I couldn’t do that anymore, so I waited. And in the end it paid off.” He watched Lacy as she listened intently, a small crease settled between her brows. “One night, I happened to stumble across a man who was in a bad way, close to death, slumped under a bridge. It looked like the poor guy was a heavy drug user and he’d overdosed. There was nothing that could’ve been done to save him. His death had been inevitable, which meant his body was no longer any use to him.

So, I figured I’d wait, and at the very last second, I took it.

Lacy’s eyes shimmered with her unshed tears. She was silent, her lips pressed together as though she was struggling to process what he’d just told her.

“So, you see. . . I’m not even real, Lacy. Michael Warden is a walking dead man and I’m just hitching a ride. And now you know why I couldn’t kiss you last night.”
She stared into his eyes, her gaze never wavering. Then her brow creased and when she pulled her hand from his, he thought she was going to bolt, but then a rush of breath left her and she put her head into her hands. After amoment, when she looked at him again, her frown had gone. She looked strangely calm.

She must have seen the despair on his face as he waited for a response because she reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. Another tear fell from her eye as she stroked his face with her thumb and whispered, “You are real to me.”

He almost stopped breathing. After everything he’d just told her she should have been running out the door as far away from him, from this whole nightmare, as she could. But instead she was looking at him with adoring eyeslike she had done last night before she’d gone to kiss him.

“Michael, I don’t know how to deal with all of the things you’ve just told me. Part of me, the little girl in me, wants to run away and forget any of this ever happened, but what good is that going to do? It’ll probably only drive me mad in the end anyway. What I do know is this: no matter how hard this is for me to deal with right now, it can’t be anywhere near as bad as it is for you.”

Shit. Before, she’d just been knocking on the door to his heart, but now, after that speech, she’d gone and moved herself in, kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on the sofa. Now she wasn’t going anywhere.

He couldn’t speak.
“You’re not one of those demons, you’re not evil. I can feel your compassion and your kindness, that’s the reason I care for you. You came to rescue me at the risk of your own l. . .
” She stopped herself from saying the word life and then looked away from him to hide her embarrassment. “I’m sorry.
He pulled her chin around so she was looking at him again. “Hey. Don’t apologize. I’ve had a year to deal with this, and even though I still don’t have any answers for why I’m like this, I’m kind of used to it.” Her lips curled up in a faint smile. “You are real to me,” she repeated, then surprised him when she leaned across and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. He hesitantly placed his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.

He closed his eyes.

He rubbed her back while he thought of how well she’d taken everything. Perhaps he could have been honest with her sooner. He doubted it. If she hadn’t just witnessed what she had there’s no way she would have believed him. And who would blame her for that? He found it hard to believe himself and yet he was smack bang in the middle of it.

“I don’t think this whole ghosts and spirits thing is so crazy, not now anyway.” Lacy said, her head still on his chest.

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

She sat up, but he kept his arm around her. “As crazy as it sounds coming out of my own mouth. . . a ghost helped me escape tonight.”

What was she talking about? He gave her a questioning glance. “I don’t understand.”
“I was bound to a bed by my ankles and wrists and had no way of freeing myself. A woman appeared in front of me, a spirit, and she helped me get free,”

she explained.

What? He thought the only reason he could see spirits was because he was also dead. How was it possible? And more importantly, why would a spirit help her? He hardly ever interacted with ghosts because they were never easy to communicate with.

“How?”

“Somehow, she was able to break the chain and the rope. Then I ran. But when I got to the door of the warehouse it was locked. The spirit helped me again by placing her hand on the door which unlocked it. There’s no way I could have broken that chain myself so I couldn’t have imagined it, I swear I−”

He placed his hands on her arms. “Lacy, I believe you.” It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. “I just don’t understand it.”

She smiled and looked down. “I don’t either. But I think, after all these years, I’ve finally realized I’m not crazy.”

She seemed to be talking to herself rather than him. She wasn’t making sense. “Lacy, what’s going on?”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “I’ve been seeing things I can’t explain since shortly after my sister’s death; people who have tried to talk to me, to show me things. My grandma, and the doctors I spoke to about it, put it down to post traumatic stress. And that’s what I’ve thought ever since. I thought I was having crazy hallucinations, worried that perhaps I was losing my mind.

Hell, I’ve paid enough out on therapy bills because of it, even spent years trying to psychoanalyze myself to no avail. I hadn’t had one for nearly five years, until a couple of weeks ago when I was on my way to work. I saw something in the road and swerved to miss it. When I checked, there was nothing there. I think that, after all these years of thinking I was a little crazy, I’ve actually been able to see the dead.”

She let out a heavy sigh, but surprised Michael when she laughed. “This has been one hell of a crazy day, huh?”

He couldn’t help but admire her even more over her attitude to everything especially this new revelation. Well, well. . . So she was gifted as well as beautiful.

He couldn’t help but pull her into his arms again. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Why? Because you’re not hauling me out of here in a straight jacket?” she said as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
Michael felt a slight breeze and a shift in his senses. He looked up to see Alethia standing in the doorway of the sitting room.

“What the hell took you so long back there?” Michael suddenly snapped. He and Lacy had been seconds away from death.

Lacy pulled away from him. And he realized how angry he’d just sounded.

Alethia’s face was pale and she didn’t seem herself. “Yes, I’m sorry for that.

I had to wait until Varesh was weak. What he was doing to you was draining his power and I had to wait until the right moment before I could use my powers on him. He’s strong and I needed to make sure he was vulnerable.”

He calmed himself, remembering that she was the reason they were both still here. “What was he doing to me? That hurt like hell.”

“That’s because it was Hell. He was using Hell’s fire to dampen your powers so that he could rip your soul out.”

“What fucking powers? Demons keep telling me that I’m someone I’m not, and now he’s convinced I have powers? There is some sure bleeped up case of mistaken identity here and I need to clear this shit up before he hurts anyone else I care about.” His eyes flicked to Lacy for a moment and he saw her eyes widen slightly. Yes, well, he was all about the truth right now.

Alethia remained quiet.
“Are you okay?” Lacy asked as she walked over to her and placed her hand on her arm. “You look awfully pale.” She led her to the sofa.
“Uh, yeah, sorry. Alethia, this is Lacy. Lacy. . . Alethia.” Michael motioned his hand back and forth between the two. “Alethia is a goddess.” He waited again for a reaction from Lacy but she was more concerned with helping the woman, who actually did look a little sick.

Alethia sat down, shoulders slumped. “Nice to meet you. I’m fine, really, thanks.”

“Are you sure?” Lacy threw Michael a quick look and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Truly, I am. Dematerializing someone usually drains me a little, but, like I said, Varesh is powerful. It took a lot out of me that’s all. I’ll be fine once I’ve rested.”

“Where is he now?” Michael asked as he pulled out his cell ready to text Evo to inform him that they’d made it back okay.

“I sent them both to see an old pal of theirs. Lucifer will enjoy his company for a while, but I wouldn’t count on it being for long. At most, it might buy us a day or two.” Alethia began to cough, her pallor now a pasty gray. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

Michael hadn’t even thanked Alethia for what she’d done. If it wasn’t for her, Lacy would certainly be dead and who knows what would have happened to him. He had a very bad feeling about all of this. Why was this powerful demon after him? What kind of threat did he think Michael could impose? The whole situation was just getting weird.

Was it a case of mistaken identity? Perhaps that’s why he was killed in the first place, because whoever it was thought he was somebody else. He could think of no other reason so it had to be that.
“Would you like to have a lie down on my bed, Alethia?” Lacy’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts and her soft, caring tone warmed him. Thank God she was okay. “You look like you could use a soft pillow right now and I have lots of them on there.”

The deity gave Lacy an appreciative smile as she managed to nod her head.

“I’ll show you to my room.”

Michael watched as Lacy put her arm around the deity and helped her towards the door. “Alethia,” he called. She looked back at him over her shoulder. “Thanks.”

“That’s okay. I like diamonds by the way.” She winked at him and smiled a little before they disappeared down the hall.

He was amazed at how Lacy was handling everything. She seemed completely unfazed by what had happened and what she’d learned about the world she thought she knew. And now she was taking care of a powerful goddess without even giving it a second thought. Like it was just something she did every day.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling he had. It seemed he was to blame for everything she’d been through lately. If he’d just stayed away from her none of this would have happened. Yeah, instead of sticking to his normal routine of keeping his distance and getting on with the job he was there to do he’d weakened. It was an innocent slip that had materialized into something that was now way beyond his control. He cared for her, and knew she felt the same and wasn’t that just a ball ache?

He had to stop it. There was no choice. He had to stick to his plan of Evo staying with her from now on. As soon as his buddy got back, he’d inform him of the new plan, then Michael would go to his place, pick up a few things and head over to the hospital. He didn’t think Nina was still in danger but wanted to be sure.

His phone vibrated in his hand. It was a reply from Evo: On my way. Will get takeout.

Michael exhaled hard. Now he had to prepare to give his friend the next bit of bad news: they’d left the MERC behind.

Hmmm.. Things are getting deeper.. Just hope micheal discovers his powers soon..