FIFTEEN

 

Staying overnight in Memorial Hospital was not my idea of a vacation. But as bad as it was lying in a bed, paralyzed, with nothing to do but think and worry all night, seeing a grim-faced Gregory enter my private room was worse.

“We need to talk.” He pulled up a chair.

“About what? Nadulbar? The vulture birds flying overhead? The fact my life flashed before my eyes? Or the fact, up to an hour ago, the physicians thought I was paraplegic? So many things to discuss, so little time.”

“Don’t get testy with me, Miranda. Yes, they’re all important. The birds were Banshees, by the way. It’s unusual to see them in groups away from a battlefield where there are a lot of dead or dying. So count yourself lucky you’re still with us.”

“I haven’t felt fear like that since they lit the pyre in Salem.”

“Salem. That’s what we need to talk about. While Olivia’s getting you a ‘real’ cup of coffee, I want to discuss Jared.”

“What about him?” The pit of my stomach clenched. “I know where he is, by the way. I found out who he is last night. Unfortunately, I found out too late.” Wet tears rolled down my cheeks. “But, I’ll put it behind me and move on like I did before.”

“Behind you, eh?” Using his fingers, he gently wiped my tears away. “Olivia tried to explain to you what she’d discovered about Jared, but you refused to listen. Jared himself even tried to explain last night. Again, you refused to listen.”

“How do you know that? Did your good buddy Jared run to you begging for your help?” I glared at him.

He leaned forward in his chair. “Yes. This morning. Afterward, when we told him about your attack, I almost had to hog tie him to keep him from rushing over here.”

I struggled to sit up, wincing as everything rebelled at my movement.

“Stay put.” He placed his hand on my arm. “For the record, Jared didn’t contact me. I went to his place.”

“But how did you know…”

“Who he was?” He sighed. “I’ve known for a while. So has Josh. Jared got in touch with Josh after you mentioned his name at the bookstore. I didn’t dare tell Seth and Natasha about him. You know their loose lips. As for Olivia, well, she couldn’t even keep her mouth shut about making love the day after we first got together.”

I crossed my arms. “How comforting. Well, it’s nice to know not all my friends are traitors.”

He sighed again. “None of us are. It’s extremely important you listen to what actually happened in Salem.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head violently. “No.”

“You must, and you will. Your future depends on it, as does his.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “By all that is holy, listen to me.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say yes, so I nodded my head but kept my eyes closed. No way would I show how deeply Jared had hurt me last night.

He eased his grip on my hand. “When you were in Salem, Jared learned what the preacher planned earlier in the day. When the preacher realized Jared had discovered the truth, he knocked Jared unconscious. Jared was locked inside the ice barn until after your death. Believing the preacher and his men did it, Jared turned away from Ms. C and the light. But, it was Keara who did everything, all the time pretending to be the preacher. She’s a wonderful mimic. She was also the one who told you Jared was with another woman.”

“Oh, no.” My heart pounded in my chest. “If you say so Gregory, I know it’s the truth. You can’t lie. How could I have been so wrong? Oh, my sweet, sweet Jared. I didn’t know.”

“He really loves you, Miranda. He always has. He’s blamed himself all this time for what happened to you. Two years ago, he even called out to you when he learned what trickery Keara had played on him. What you said last night after you discovered he was Jared has him so despondent, I don’t know what he’d have done if I hadn’t called him to say you’d been hurt. He’s afraid he’s run you off and this time he’ll be responsible for your slaughter, and possible soul demise.”

I bent my head and sobbed. “Please don’t let him renounce the light because of my stubborn stupidity.”

“I wouldn’t have renounced.”

I turned at the sound of Jared’s voice. “You won’t have to,” I whimpered.

He smiled. “I’ve only loved one woman for eternity. It looks like that isn’t going to change.”

“And I’ve only loved one man.”

Gregory made a quick exit and closed the door as Jared gave me a tender kiss. I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him with my heart, letting him know I was his for all time.

* * * *

 

Two days later, I focused on demon hunting. I’d had some time to rest thanks to my relief teacher at college, and I’d called the whole team, plus Jared, together. With Uncle Paddy playing golf, we met in the library behind a locked door because of George’s nosiness. Thankfully, I didn’t need to explain what had happened. Gregory had already handled that.

“One thing is for sure,” I told them. “Nadulbar’s joined forces with Kendra. Otherwise, the Banshees wouldn’t have been hovering overhead. Since he’s no longer solo, Kendra has obviously modified her plans.”

“She had to.” Jared patted my knee. “You exorcized and banished the Marid. She was one-down on her attack force. If this adventure’s anything like what we went through in Richmond, she has more demons waiting in the wings.”

Gregory paced back and forth. “Considering she and her sister were limited last time by what Heinrich could do in the air at night, you can bet she’ll recruit some demons that’ll go unnoticed, even by Evolves.”

“We know Heinrich and Keara are history.” Olivia dangled her feet over the arm of a chair. “In a previous life, has anyone met up with some of Kendra’s friends? Or allies?”

“Allocen is her father,” Jared said. “He’s a powerful duke in the underworld and the major reason for Kendra’s clout with the Dark Prince. Knowing Allocen, he’s sworn vengeance for what happened to his son, Heinrich. And especially his daughter, Keara, since she’s never getting out of the river of fire.”

“Does he shape shift like Kendra and Keara?” Seth asked.

Jared nodded. “He also has red eyes. In demonic form, he’s dressed as a soldier, has the head of a lion, but it’s red, and he often rides a horse.”

“Sounds like a good bet he not only is on the mission, but leading it.” I shivered. “Shape shifters can move among us seamlessly. That’s what makes them so dangerous. Good thing they’re cursed with red or red-rimmed eyes. At least you can spot them if you stay alert.”

“Kendra also has an on-again, off-again boyfriend named Pharzuph.” Jared rolled his eyes. “He’s the demon of lust and also shape shifts. Sometimes he accompanies her, and they both take human form so they can enjoy not just sex but orgies.”

“Why would they want to do that?” Natasha asked.

We all stared at her. “I can’t believe that came out of your mouth,” Seth howled.

“I know sex is great. Everyone knows I’m a great supporter of it.” She grinned. “But, can’t they do that down there?”

Jared shook his head. “There’s no pleasure in the Underworld. Why do you think they volunteer for work up here?”

“You know,” Gregory said, “I’ve got a feeling Lilith’s going to show up this go-round.”

“Since the fall of Eden, Lilith hasn’t left the Underworld. Why’d she start now?” Olivia pulled her legs back down from the sofa arm.

“Wrong.” Gregory lifted Olivia off the chair, sat down then settled her on his lap, his arms wrapped around her. “Lilith was here during the time of the Ancient Assyrians and Sumerians. I’m also fairly certain she’s visited other times as well.”

“Tony,” Jared added, “whom I refer to as ‘little brother’ because we’ve lived so many lives as such, told me he ran into her once in The Pagan Kingdom pre-Burma under the reign of Anawrahta. Lilith kidnapped his friend’s three children to sacrifice them to Poseiden. Tony saved them with the help of his friend and their guardians.”

Gregory nodded. “So there’s a parallel here. Lilith likes to kidnap children, the younger the better, and often kills them.”

“Oh, my stars!” Olivia gasped. “Poseidon’s the other name for Neptune, and we’re on Neptune Beach.”

“Don’t worry, Olivia.” I leaned forward. “Lilith will have to come through me for the children. What’s our next move? How do we find out who’s really here?”

“I’m not sure we can.” Gregory rose, settled Olivia back in the chair and began pacing. “We don’t know what or when they’ve planned their attack on the children. It was easy last time. They wanted the children and to kill Olivia’s body. To do that required she was in labor.”

“Then, a good time this go-round would’ve been for their birthday, but that happened in July,” Olivia said.

“Wait!” I held up my hand. “The locals have a festival on the beach in two weeks. It’s called the Neptune Festival of the Gods.”

* * * *

 

After our discoveries at the meeting, Jared and I sat on a loveseat on the back deck and relaxed. “That was a lot of information packed into a short ninety minutes.” I pulled my hair back and snapped a scrunchie around it.

“I agree.” He tossed his arm around me and drew me close. “I’m worried about the challenge ahead. If we’re right about our cast of players, we’ve got a massive fight ahead of us.”

I snuggled into his arms. “But not today.” My gaze scanned the clear azure blue sky and shivered. “It feels like autumn’s on its way.”

Jared spread a blanket over my bare legs. “Florida has its cold weather, but not usually this early.”

“Even if this is normal, it won’t keep us from defeating the demons,” I said.

“You seem awfully sure of that. Why?”

“Because Ms. C’s orchestrated this, and that much evil can’t triumph. No matter what the world throws at me—at us—we’ll beat it, Jared. Having beaten the odds on finding true love, the everlasting eternal kind, we won’t lose this battle to insure the souls of Olivia’s and Gregory’s two beautiful children. I believe, as they do, they are the future of earth.”

“What about our children?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” I stared up at the sky. “If it’s meant to be then it will be. If not, we’ll help other little ones, the abandoned ones, discover the beauty of life.” I glanced back into his eyes. “Would you be disappointed if we didn’t have kids this time around?”

He kissed me, a loving, gentle kiss. “You could never disappoint me.”

“Then let time take its course.”

“But not when it comes to these demons. We have to plan a way of finding them before someone’s hurt.”

“Short of waiting for the festival, what do you suggest?” I crawled onto his lap. “What’s the first step to routing the little devils out of their fire holes?” I buried my face in his chest and inhaled his woodsy scent.

“I think it’s time we go visit Farley.”

“Why? You didn’t like him.”

“That was when I thought he was interested in you. Truth is he owes you one for getting rid of that black soul. Besides, he’s a true psychic, and he’s just been taken from a demon’s grasp before his memory was erased. That means he may remember some valuable intel. With help, ours, maybe it’ll crystallize.”

* * * *

 

“I’m glad you called.” Farley sipped fresh lemonade.

I sat, careful not to ogle him as he lounged about in his swimming trunks under an oversized beach umbrella. Tanned and muscular, he was everything a woman would desire. Maybe in another life, I would’ve been attracted. But not now, not with Jared back in my life as my touchstone. I flashed Jared a grin. Men. He’d seated himself between the two of us just to be on the safe side.

“We hoped you remembered some things from your drop-in experience,” Jared said.

“I think I do. I’ve been having some hellacious dreams.”

“Like what?” I set my untouched drink in the pocket on my chair.

“He’d had some conversations with some pretty strange characters. They met one night at a small bar. I can’t tell you where exactly, except the next morning my odometer was more than forty-three miles higher than the night before. You track mileage when you’re driving a rental car, even if it’s unlimited. But what initially drew my eye wasn’t the mileage, it was the gas gauge. At first I thought someone had siphoned the tank.”

“Do you have any idea if you drove north or south?” Jared leaned forward in his chair. “If we had a general idea where you went, we may be able to locate their position. That could be where they’re staying.”

“One thing I know,” I said, “they’re staying somewhere nice, because Kendra, being a Raksasha, would demand it. They don’t do anything on a motel bare-bones basis.”

“I think we drove north when going and south returning, because I remember a sign saying ‘Heckler Exit to south side of the island.’” Farley shrugged. “I think that’s Amelia Island.”

“Can you describe the demons there?” I asked.

“I only saw shape shifters, because they were laughing about their assumed identities. I know one was named Kendra because she seemed to be running the show. Long red hair, hourglass figure and red eyes.”

“That’s Kendra.” I shook my head in disgust just thinking about her. “She loves to have red hair if she’s not in danger of being detected by one of us Earth Angels.”

“Which reminds me; you need to fill me in on what you’re doing some time. Seth gave me a crash course after the demon left the other night, but I didn’t take in much, being exhausted and everything.”

“We will. I promise.” I grinned. “After this is over, we’ll all gather and tell past life stories.”

“What about the others at the meeting?” Jared got us back on track.

Farley drained his glass, held it up, requesting a refill. Once he had a new glass full, he turned back to Jared. “One of them said something about being related to Kendra, teasing her. The other one looked like he wanted to jump her bones.”

Jared’s eyes narrowed. “As I thought, Allocen and Pharzuph are both here.”

I leaned forward. “Did anyone mention the name Lilith?”

“Nope,” Farley said. “But Kendra said, ‘We have to make certain Poseidon’s on board. That means we’ve got to prove we have enough breathing bodies to sacrifice so he’ll help us first, prior to payment.’”

“What did the other two say?” I asked.

“The authoritative one said, ‘I’ll make certain our expert sees to that. She’s better than the Pied Piper.’”

“Lilith,” Jared and I chimed in simultaneously.