Chapter 8
Lacey took the garment and held it across both arms, arching an eyebrow at the lovely black cocktail dress Storm had brought in for her. She was used to dressing up or down for certain jobs and could do either extremely well.
She imagined what Vincent would think when he saw her in this dress tonight but for some reason her daydream replaced Vincent’s charming stare with Ren's intense gaze. She suddenly felt heat rise up in her cheeks and slid Ren a sideways glance hoping like hell he wasn't reading her mind again.
Storm recognized the high color of Lacey’s cheeks as a dead giveaway for her mood. He followed her gaze to a brooding Ren knowing this wasn't the last time his friend would piss the pretty lady off.
Wanting to get everyone’s mind back on what was most important Storm smiled charmingly and swept a hand toward the two people he’d brought with him. “This young woman is Angelica… the one that is going to remove the demon mark for you… and the man is Syn, he’s… hers.”
Lacey almost laughed out loud at the look Storm got from Angelica for that comment but held it in when she locked gazes with the big man beside her. She could almost swear he was daring her to say something about the comment. Nope… she wasn't going to touch that one.
“Okay, but why are you so bent on removing the mark before the original deal is dissolved?” she asked still a little nervous about the idea.
Storm’s face became serious, “Honestly… because every time I go to that auction I’m getting a different ending.”
“Storm,” Ren said warningly, “didn’t we just go through this?”
Storm gave his best friend an apologetic nod before returning his attention to Lacey. “Let’s just say that there is a chance of the demon mark putting a snag in our plan if we don’t remove it before entering the building.”
Ren looked up from the computer screen with a dark expression convinced the Time Walker had just warned him in a roundabout way that Lacey’s death was a very possible outcome. He could feel the slight calm he’d just worked so hard to obtain shatter like thin glass. His mind raced to come up with several solutions including teleporting her back to the island and leaving her there… out of danger’s reach.
Lacey shook her head with a confused frown, “But demons never go back on their word once you’ve made a deal with them. It’s their Achilles heel… right?”
“Yes, but that deal hasn’t been made yet,” Storm reminded her. “There will be more than one group of demons at the auction and the deal is only between you and the ring you are there to trade with. If we don’t remove the demon mark now, there’s a very good chance some other bloodthirsty demon could tap into its hold over you thinking it will give them leverage against PIT.
“But I’m not even a part of PIT yet,” Lacey pointed out rethinking how smart it was to join this group permanently. She stopped herself from looking toward Ren remembering the way he’d said that she didn’t have what it took to join PIT. Now she almost understood why he’d said it.
“We will be there to protect you, but by doing so… we are also making you a target by letting the demons know that you are under our protection,” Storm informed her then glanced toward Ren when he came out from behind the desk. He was glad his friend had stopped pretending not to pay attention because his actions within the next few minutes would seal Lacey's fate one way or the other.
“Well,” Lacey began, “since you put it that way.”
“Let’s see this mark. Where is it?” Angelica asked coming closer.
“It’s on my shoulder,” Lacey answered and untied the slender purple string that tightened the top of the dress and eased the material off one shoulder so the mark was visible.
Ren wanted to close his eyes so he couldn’t see the smooth flesh she’d just revealed but it was like trying to look away from a train wreck… he couldn’t do it. She had claimed it was on her shoulder but in his opinion the mark was closer to the supple mound of her cleavage. He itched to tell the other two men in the room to turn around but swallowed the urge wanting the mark gone.
Becoming nervous when Angelica sat down on the sofa beside her, Lacey started talking quickly, “You understand that you can’t completely remove it… right? The demons can’t know the mark has been tampered with yet. If they find out… it will put my friend in danger.”
“Friend,” Ren sarcastically murmured under his breath but stepped closer to the girls when he noticed the mark had gotten Syn’s undivided attention.
Angelica stared down at the bizarre looking mark not recognizing it. To her, it looked like several marks overlapping each other. Reaching out, she held her hand over it for a brief moment before jerking her hand back in confusion. The link went in several different directions.
“Syn, will you please check this demon mark? I’m not sure what I’m feeling,” she asked hoping he could unravel the riddle.
Syn was suddenly there with his hand a mere inch from the mark. Looking down into the girl’s startled gaze he said, “You haven’t been marked by a demon… you’ve been marked by several and more than one of them are originals.”
“But only one demon marked me and I saw Vincent behead him,” Lacey insisted not liking the thought that she was in even more trouble then she’d originally thought.
“And just a couple hours ago you had something evil crawling out of a mirror toward you,” Ren reminded her more for the benefit of the others in the room. He nodded toward the symbol, “That’s the same symbol the underground ring uses and I bet it bound you to the ring as a whole… not just to Masters.”
“There are too many layers… right?” Angelica asked Syn, trusting his judgment over hers in this.
Syn smiled down at his mate, not only proud at how quickly she had come to that conclusion, but also in the fact that she had stopped fighting his help and now reached for it. “It’s either completely destroy the demon’s mark, or leave it untouched.”
“Untouched is not an option,” Storm whispered just loud enough for only the paranormals in the room to hear him. Lacey was going to fight them on this and Vincent would pay a hefty price but nothing else seemed to be working. He locked his gaze on Ren and repeated in a firmer voice, “Not an option if we are to save her.”
Ren removed his sunglasses the second he saw pain enter Storm's expression and a blood red tear well up in the corner of the Time Walker’s eye. Storm wasn’t just trying to be careful… he was breaking the rules and risking punishment just to warn him of her fate. He jerked his gaze back to Lacey knowing without a doubt that if something wasn’t done she would not survive this night.
He felt the blood in his veins actually heat up and sudden rage overwhelmed him at the thought of standing over her grave. Making up his mind, Ren dropped the shields that kept him safe from the castle’s massive amount of power and let the insanity in.
Syn grabbed Angelica’s hand and in an instant they were clear across the room. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her flush against him and whispered seductively into the shell of her ear, “Let us lend Ren our power… he has need of it.”
Angelica turned her head in confusion to look up into Syn's stunning amethyst eyes and felt her temperature spike. Just as his lips lowered to hover a mere inch above hers, she felt the willpower she used to hold her barriers in place snap and power surged up from within her.
“Wait,” Lacey cried out when Angelica suddenly disappeared from the sofa leaving her alone. She started to pull the dress back up to cover the mark but found herself pushed back against the cushions with Ren holding her down by her shoulders. She stared up into the swirling mercury of his eyes and knew she was in deep trouble.
“It looks like Vincent's going to have to hold his own for a little while,” Ren said in an already distorted voice just as another huge wave of power slammed into him. He welcomed it and began shoving every ounce of it into her to protect her from the world and the demons that thrived within it.
Lacey's eyes widened seeing Ren's hair lift and hover erratically around his face as if they were in the eye of a mini tornado… one that she couldn’t feel even the slightest breeze of.
“Ren please… don’t do this,” she whispered and blinked when her voice sounded so far away. Shaking her head she cried, “Stop… please.”
He ignored her fear and her words becoming completely obsessed in his quest to outwit the fates that wanted her six feet under.
Lacey lowered her gaze to her shoulder when the mark started to tingle and burn. She frowned as she felt something pulling through her shoulder like a hot knife and focused on the mark where it was showing around the edges of his glowing palm. She winced and tried to squirm away from him when the cool blue glow of the mark changed to a near electric white but his grip was like iron.
A gasp escaped her open lips and she bowed upwards against him when her skin started burning with such intensity that she couldn’t hold back her terrified scream. The demon mark lit up in real flames and Lacey inhaled sharply through her clenched teeth from the shearing pain. Storm had been right, it wasn't going to explode… it was going to burn her alive.
The flood of sublime fear finally overwhelmed her and Lacey jerked her gaze back up at Ren only to see a stream of silver mist leave his lips like a ghost and come toward her. The pain faded as she felt its cold whispering touch slide across her lips and slip between them, rushing in to caress her from the inside.
She wanted to enjoy the soothing rush but couldn’t stop the darkness from seeping into the edges of her vision. The last thing she saw was Ren’s mercury colored eyes glowing with power before the darkness finally claimed her.
“That’s enough,” Storm said calmly and took hold of Ren’s arm.
Ren blinked when he saw the bright sunlight reflecting across the water that surrounded the island and felt that wonderful peaceful sensation sweep through his being. It reminded him of what her soul had looked like when he’d glimpsed into it. He felt his knees start to buckle but Storm’s strong hold on him allowed him to gently slide to his knees instead of falling.
“Is she still alive?” Ren asked softly with a twinge of fear.
“Yes, I'd say she’s more alive now than she’s ever been,” Storm responded wishing for once he could tell Ren exactly what he had to look forward to. He refrained for many reasons… one being the blood that was still making its way down his cheek like a bloody tear. “I've given all of the spoilers I’m allowed for now. Oh, and one more thing… don’t leave without me.”
Ren frowned and glanced up at Storm just in time to watch the Time Walker pass out and drop like a stone.
“Damn it!” he growled barely catching his friend before they both hit the ground.
While Storm slept, three long days passed on the island and Ren had taken that time to think over what had happened with Lacey… what he’d done and whose power he’d used to do it. The water sloshed lazily against the supports of the long pier that he was sitting on with his legs hanging off the end of it. He stared across the vast ocean as he recalled the events, becoming lost in them once again.
It was mind boggling as he tried to untangle everything that had happened so quickly. The power had come at him all at once… slamming into him and he hadn’t blocked it. He had welcomed all of it. Angelica and Syn's power, Storm's, even the Guardians had unknowingly offered up their power and he’d greedily taken it and everything else the castle occupants had to offer.
He’d taken that power and thrust it into Lacey… used it on her without mercy. Ren rubbed his chin as he thought back on the emotions that had been riding him at the time. He’d never realized just how much rage and desperation the members of PIT secretly held within their hearts, but he’d felt their desires collide with his and it had truly overwhelmed him.
Storm had said that Lacey was going to die and that had terrified him. He hadn’t wanted Lacey's doom and gloom prediction to be right, much less Storm’s.
When the emotions that were coming off all of those alpha males within the castle crashed into him, it amplified his own rage and desperation… his own want. That’s why he hadn’t been able to hold any of it back. He hadn’t wanted to hold back anything… his only desire had been to save Lacey and damn the consequences.
He let a small guilty smile pull at his lips. Poor girl, she now had most of his knowledge, which was far more than any normal human should ever have to cope with. That worried him. Would Lacey be able to handle such an overload of information? But at the same time he reasoned, he was pretty close to being human right now and still held all of that knowledge. It hadn’t driven him crazy yet so there was hope.
As far as other paranormal powers went, he was pretty sure he couldn’t give her the ability to shift or anything as paranormal as that, even though he had tried to give those things to her too. He’d tried to give her everything that he was at that moment… in hopes that it would make her stronger, faster… invincible to a degree. But for the most part, those were powers you had to be born with… not given.
The one thing that his mind kept retracing was the power he’d felt coming from Syn and Angelica. He wasn’t sure if it was because Syn had been so close to him in the room, or if Syn had purposely shoved the power at him. Either way, he owed the Sun God a huge debt because that power had coursed through his veins and, for a moment, he’d understood it and its frightening depth.
Those two were Sun Gods and one of the truest forms of soul mates in the vast universe… that much he understood. Syn also had the ability to give certain powers to humans if he chose to. Ren had hungrily snagged that power and fed Lacey things like the demon repellant that he hoped like hell had stayed with her.
His expression softened as he remembered the stream of silver light that had passed between him and Lacey. He still had no idea what that was but he’d felt a part of himself slip inside of her, touching her in a way no one else ever had and never would if he had his way.
That possessive thought made his frown deepen and he wondered if it was just a backlash from using Zachary's mind powers on her earlier in the day added to the insanity of the moment. His jealousy of her relationship with Vincent seemed to be something he couldn’t control. Too bad he hadn’t erased the guy from her mind completely while he’d had a chance.
Ren pushed the evil thought away when he heard footsteps coming up behind him and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. He saw a pair of boots stop beside him and he waited on Storm to sit down.
Storm had woken up about an hour ago to the afternoon sun shining in through his open window. He’d gotten out of bed and dressed before heading down to the pier where Ren usually sat when something was bothering him. This island was the only place in the world where Ren could let his guard down completely and truly be himself.
As he approached the end of the pier, he saw the way Ren’s shoulders tensed up slightly then relax as he tried to hide it from him. He’d been friends with Ren for a long time… a lot longer than Ren was aware of. Storm sighed heavily before taking a seat next to his friend expecting the tongue lashing of the century. It was okay, he probably deserved it.
It was hard to tell just how long the two of them sat there, but the sun was nearing the horizon before Ren turned his brooding expression on the Time Walker.
“I have a million questions right now and it seriously sucks that I can’t ask a single one of them,” Ren complained.
Storm shrugged his shoulders and simply smiled looking forward to blowing Ren's mind. “If it’s already happened… then you can ask.”
“What do you mean?” Ren narrowed his eyes on his friend. The last thing he needed was to be stuck here for three more days because of Storm’s inability to keep his trap shut. “Never mind… I don’t want to know.”
“You’re worried about what powers you may have given Lacey… right?” Storm asked as he watched the sun set. In the blink of an eye, the sun was suddenly coming up on the other side of the island. He’d seen enough of the night when they returned to LA. “Since you’ve already given them to her, then it’s in the past and you can ask about it all you want.”
Ren blinked as Storm’s words echoed in his mind for a moment before the meaning sunk in. Suddenly, he reached out and pushed Storm right off the pier and into the water. He frowned when he didn’t hear the splash and leaned forward to look down at the water. Not seeing anything, he sighed when the Time Walker appeared right back to his seat next to him.
“Damn it, and here I’ve been worrying myself crazy for the last three days wondering if she was suddenly going to do something out of the blue like shifting into a panther or craving blood,” Ren ranted.
“I can’t tell you what she’ll do or when she’ll do it, but I can give you a heads up on what powers you gave her.” Storm smiled brilliantly, “Fortunately, shifting is not one of them nor is bloodlust.”
Ren glared at him, “Spill, before I teleport us both under the water just to see you get wet.”
Storm grinned, “Well, you’ll be happy to know that she now has no choice but to join PIT since you gave her a mega upload of top secret information. She’s also a speed reader now with a photographic memory.”
“What makes you think her joining PIT would make me happy?” Ren asked as he rocked back on his hands and stared up at the sky as if he couldn’t care less.
“I stand corrected,” Storm agreed knowing Ren did have a way of hating it and loving it at the same time. It kind of depended on how much danger she was putting herself in at the time as to what Ren's reaction was.
“Maybe joining PIT is a good idea after all. At least she would be protected,” Ren mused seriously. “She would need a partner,” he pointed out then held his breath wondering just who Storm would suggest putting her with.
“I know of many people who would love to take her under their wing,” Storm said and almost laughed at the way Ren's body straightened as he glared out over the water. “But I think I’ll leave that choice up to you since you are the one that found her.”
“What else did I do to her?” Ren asked, quickly changing the topic now that he’d gotten his way.
“For some reason it seems that most demons avoid getting near her,” Storm supplied knowing Ren had given her a demon repellant.
“Not all demons?” Ren asked in disappointment.
Storm shrugged, “It really depends on the power level of the demon, but I think you covered about ninety percent of them. Originals and some highborn demons are immune to the repellant sorry to say.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be telling me the good news before the bad… would you?” Ren asked suspiciously.
“Damn straight I would,” Storm admitted. “It took me several tries to figure out which order all of the damage should be told.” He laughed at the look of horror that crossed Ren's expression. “Calm down, I’m joking.”
Ren actually smiled enjoying Storm’s good mood. If Storm was playing around like this, then it couldn’t be all that bad. “Okay, out with it oh knowledgeable one.”
“Well, thanks to the upload you gave her,” Storm continued, “Lacey now knows how to fight as if she’s trained for hundreds of years. Still… she’s only just a little faster and just a little stronger than a normal human. She makes up for it by now being smart as a whip and able to out maneuver most opponents.”
“Great… I gave her the ability to kick my ass,” Ren pushed his palm against his forehead pretending regret. “That should put a smile on the little thief’s face.”
Storm smiled knowing Lacey would never be able to physically kick Ren's ass… but mentally was another story. “Her healing abilities are a little faster now and she’ll age a lot slower. Everything I’m telling you is also true for you when you’re in human form.”
“What?” Ren demanded jerking his hand down from his head to once again glare out at the water. He hadn’t meant to do that.
“Because you used Syn’s ability to give those powers to her… those same powers had to pass through you first and they left a residual trace,” Storm said feeling no remorse. Just call him selfish, but he was not looking forward to ever losing his best friend.
Ren turned his head to look at Storm. “I’ll never be completely human again even when I’m not around paranormals?” he asked still not as freaked out as he thought he’d be. Seeing Storm press his lips together and shake his head Ren sighed, “Please tell me that’s all of it.”
“Nope… saved the best for last,” Storm said deciding to only give him a hint of the other fun stuff for now. Ren could figure out the rest of the details on his own. “You and Lacey can now sense each other.”
Ren frowned again, “What do you mean by sense each other?”
Storm pretended to think about it for a moment then reached up and rubbed his temple even though he hadn’t felt an ounce of pain. “I have a feeling that might be crossing the line into Spoilerville.”
Ren narrowed his eyes suspiciously but didn’t press the issue. “Fine, but I want to return to the exact same moment we left.”
“Sure,” Storm patted Ren on the back.
Ren felt a fleeting moment of weightlessness then suddenly felt something soft and smooth against his cheeks. He inhaled enjoying it for a second then opened his eyes finding himself face down on top of Lacey again, his face right in the valley between her breasts. Pushing up with his hands, he stared down at the way the top of her dress was still lose and trailed down to expose her shoulder… and a good amount of cleavage.
Growling, he quickly got off of her and tightened the damn string of her dress before giving Storm a dirty look knowing the Time Walker had done that on purpose. His attention was instantly taken when he saw Syn and Angelica on the other side of Storm.
At a quick glance, it looked like they were kissing but they weren’t… their lips were less than an inch from each other and he remembered the feel of it. What they were doing was much more intimate than a simple kiss. He arched an eyebrow just as the couple slowly parted.
Angelica inhaled deeply, amazed at the power she’d just felt passing through her body and shivered deliciously. She lifted her gaze from Syn’s perfect lips and took another step back when she not only saw, but felt the unrestrained hunger shining in his amethyst eyes.
Feeling like a voyeur, Ren averted his attention from the Sun Gods and gazed back down at Lacey. He was slightly unnerved at how badly he wanted to tap back into the power around him. It had been three days and he could still taste it.
“How long before she wakes up,” he asked not liking the thought of leaving her here in the middle of the office while she was at her most vulnerable.
Needing a distraction from Syn, Angelica stepped away from him and toward the sofa. “Once her body and mind has stabilized she will wake up on her own. It would not be healthy to wake her up before she is ready and I wouldn’t risk picking her up to move her.”
“I don’t have to pick her up,” Ren stated as he grabbed the clothing Storm had brought her then reached out and barely touched her arm.
“Didn’t think about that,” Angelica said with a slight smile when they disappeared from the office.
