The powers she'd had since she was a little girl.
Leonardo would hurt her. If he had to.
Alexa moved until she sat on her knees. "I know what you are."
He stood up and took a step away from her, a protective move from a man who didn't need to be playing defense. What was that about? Sebastian had taught her, before these people had killed him, to watch the way everyone moved. Sometimes their body spoke in ways their words didn't.
"What am I, Alexa?" The way he said her name, as though he liked to.
They were alone in the room. He didn't need to keep saying it.
She stood and although her legs felt wobbly and her need for blood hadn't abated, she stayed steady. "You're a demon."
He was slow to smile. "Sometimes I wish I were."
* * * *
Sebastian smiled. They'd been so intent on finding and capturing his mother that no one paid any attention to him. He shook his head, although in his incorporeal state the shaking was more proverbial than anything else.
He floated toward the caves. Marina's wards weren't as strong as they should have been. She'd weakened when she'd held mommy dearest back. She would have to get stronger if she wanted to beat him, not that he intended to tell her how to win. The sad truth was, she'd done him a favor.
With his mother locked up, she was one less thing he had to focus on. His sister had been banished after the mess with Charma and Jason. He'd lay odds his father didn't let her out of the dungeon for eons.
But with mommy missing, his father would come.
And Sebastian didn't stand a chance in winning this dimension with his father present. So what was a demon to do when he had enough of his parents' crap?
Let the Outsiders manage it for him. They'd take down his father—or they'd die—and either way that would solve Sebastian's problem with them.
The thing to do was to get them injured, weakened, not ready for his father. He took a deep breath and smelled her. Alexa was in the vicinity. They had her. He rubbed at his chin. They'd gotten to her faster than he expected. Oh well. She was too damaged to be any good to them and Jason wasn't enough of a healer thanks to his very human upbringing to know how to fix her.
By the time they figured it out, his father would have arrived.
Gia and Raquel were still absent. The soul mates weren't fully formed and all he had to do was take one of the weakened wards and flick it away.
The lines danced in front of his face, they were spider webs pulsing together like musical instruments. He concentrated, sending bits of his energy to it until it shattered. A hole in the Outsiders boundaries formed and like a floating piece of smoke he floated right through.
From his vantage point on the ceilings of the cave, he could see them all. Such a funny place, the Outsider caves. He'd tortured Abraxas for decades deep within the walls before he'd killed him. The current Outsiders' parents had invited him into their world deep below.
Most of the living group slept soundly, content in their knowledge his mother had been defeated and Marina had warded the caves. How stupid of the little asses.
One of them he needed to stay asleep. It wouldn't do to have Eden wake up, have a vision, and spoil his plans. With a flick of his wrist, he sent sleeping magic deep into her soul. Neither she nor Samuel would wake until the next evening. Not even if the caves caught aflame. Wouldn't it be a shame if no one thought to go wake them up? Samuel had already been burned alive.
Oh, well…a drama for another day.
Gabriel and Loraine whispered in the kitchen. They wouldn't be a bother. He let them be.
Leonardo and Alexa argued. She still smelled infected. Nothing was going to improve for them and he gave it no further thought. The two he wanted were deep asleep still, wrapped up in each other, spent and naked.
Sebastian floated downwards.
Marina, he supposed, was considered very beautiful. To him, she looked like white meat he wanted to chew on and spit back up.
But Drew loved her. And that was why hurting her was going to feel so damned good.
The Outsider was stronger than he had been even the day before. He was sure there were reasons for the shift in Drew and, if he had the time, he'd figure out why. Only, Sebastian needed to get in, destroy, weaken—kill if possible—and get out.
Although it took longer than expected, Sebastian found the hole he'd pushed into Drew years ago. The entrance to his very soul.
Time to go play.
Chapter Thirteen
Marina took Drew's hand. They were in their garden and the sun set softly on the horizon. "Could we stay like this forever? I mean we really don't need to wake up do we?"
Her love grinned. "Sounds like a plan. We can sleep through the whole battle."
"Seriously, when it's all over, and we've both survived, triumphed, and rid the world of the demon, Sebastian, can we please never see the inside of a cave again?"
Drew leaned forward, his lips almost pressing to hers. "And here I thought you'd want to make a home of the caves. We could redecorate. A nice rug…"
His voice faded off and worry crossed his brow. She reached up to smooth away the line. "Hey, none of that in here. Whatever you're thinking about has no place in our garden."
"Something's wrong." He looked left and right before he moved to stand. "I don't know how to describe it. But somehow…" Drew grasped his stomach. "Oh, fuck no."
She jumped to her feet. "Love, what is it?"
"Sebastian. He's inside of me."
Marina gasped before she rushed to his side. "Not possible. You got super strong in the other dimension, he shouldn't be able to manifest in your weak spot anymore."
Drew grabbed his head. "And yet… Marina, run."
She couldn't run. They were asleep. This was their place. Like hell she was going to let the son-of-a-bitch demon, who screwed everything up for them, anywhere near their sacred spot.
"What can I do?"
Drew took a step back. His expression went blank for a split second before he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do?"
"About Sebastian. I'll wake up and do something."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Marina. You see, if you'd ever really been able to do anything at all, I wouldn't be here inside of Drew's body, would I?"
"Sebastian." In their garden, in Drew's person. No. No. No. No. No.
The demon wearing Drew smiled. "I got through your wards. I floated through the caves. No one noticed. And now I've taken over your love. How many of you do you think I can hurt before anyone realizes it's not Drew controlling things? Do you think I'm even still in the bed with you? Or have I killed Colin and Zane in their sleep?"
"You couldn't still be talking to me if you were awake. That's not how this place works." She outstretched her hand. "And no way would Drew let you hurt anyone. He's fighting you. I know he is. Right now."
She sounded frantic. Marina dropped her hand. The sad truth was she had no powers in her dream state. Nothing she could do whatsoever to protect herself from the demon or get him out of Drew's body.
She needed to wake up. Right. Then.
Only she'd never been able to make it happen from the garden. Either something on the outside forced her awake or her body got enough rest and she came back to consciousness.
"Oops. Looks like I'm waking up. Guess I'll have to be extra careful not to jar you." Sebastian winked at her. "Oh, I wish you could hear him scream. Wasn't this scenario exactly why he stayed away from you for so long? And before I go…I wonder if you die in a dream state do you perish in real life?"
The world around her exploded in fire. Her garden, their garden, went up in flames.
* * * *
Sebastian rose from the bed and stretched his hands over his head. Technically, they were Drew's hands but whatever. He'd forgotten how stiff the human body could be. Did Drew get this knotted up every morning?
"Getting older, asshole?"
Inside of him, Drew screamed and Sebastian smiled for a secon
d before he shut him back down by turning off the piece of his brain where he could hear him.
Drew would have to listen to him and Sebastian didn't have to pay attention to one damn thing Drew said.
"It's really too bad it had to come to this. You do realize this is entirely yours and Marina's fault. Whoever I hurt or kill in your body falls entirely on your shoulders. Or on Marina's. Why didn't she check the wards before she went to bed? I mean that's basic Outsider one-oh-one isn't it? Check the wards. Big sigh, buddy, big sigh."
Marina hadn't moved. He wondered if he'd killed her in that garden. Funny, he'd only been kidding when he made the stupid joke about dying in a dream leading to death in real life. But who knew? Maybe he'd solved his own problem. Dead Outsiders meant he'd won. He'd keep his father away by immediately becoming supreme leader.
He walked from the room and looked around. Who would be the best target to get the most effect? It didn't even take him long to decide. Kill Charma and the whole lot of them would tumble like dominoes. She kept their emotional health in check. If she was hurt, the Outsiders would be left twitching in the corner.
If Drew went after Charma, he'd either manage to kill her or they'd all destroy Drew. Either way, Sebastian won.
Voices in the distance caught his attention and he moved in the direction of the sound. Fortunately for him, Drew didn't talk very much. If he was lucky, he wasn't going to have to converse. He could just go ahead and get the job done and then float out of there before anyone caught on.
The Outsiders who were awake had gathered around a counter in what looked like a fairly well-functioning kitchen. They were drinking coffee. Sebastian didn't miss eating, but Drew's stomach growled. He clearly needed to eat.
Oh well. Maybe Drew would die a hungry man.
"Hey," Gabriel called out to him when he entered. It was everything Sebastian could do to control his disdain. "Where is your other half? I need to talk to her about that cool shit she did last night."
Sebastian ignored him. The person he wanted was in his grasp. He just had to reach for her. Without comment, he picked up a knife off the counter. Foolish Outsiders, leaving things all over the place.
"No."
He jolted backwards. What the hell? Hitting the wall drew the crowd's attention and they all stared at him. Damn it, that would not do. How had Drew gotten any semblance of control back of his body?
"Big fucking mistake, asswipe. You don't threaten a woman. Not around an Outsider man."
Sebastian gasped as his a sharp pain filled his stomach.
"Drew," Gabriel said, "you okay?"
Marina rushed into the room. "It's not Drew. Sebastian has taken him over."
"That's right, I have." Sebastian laughed. "I had this idea to kill Charma. Apparently, Drew didn't like the thought."
With his words, predictably, Jason put himself in front of Charma. As if the healer could do anything if Sebastian wanted her.
"But now I have a better idea. I can't get to any of you. Fine. I still have him. I'll lock us away. You won't see us ever again. Drew can cause me all the pain he wants. We'll all age. You'll die. I won't. When your bodies are gone, I'll simply float back out of hiding and take over the earth."
Marina pointed her finger at him. Sebastian could feel the surge of power she plowed in his direction. He shrugged. Safe in Drew's body there wasn't a thing she could do to him. "I like my idea more and more."
"Not going to happen."
"Your boy thinks he can stop me, Marina. It's pathetic, really. Such a small sense of how powerful I am."
Her face paled. Sebastian wasn't at all certain why only if he'd upset her then there were certainly grounds for celebration.
"Drew." She closed her eyes as Loraine came to stand next to her. He watched as the two women took hands.
What was the show of support about?
"You should have spent more time really trying to understand emotions. It's really too bad for you that you don't know what's about to happen. Goodbye for now, Sebastian. I'm sure we're going to meet again."
What?
His arm raised and the hand still holding the knife plunged into his chest. He gasped as his hand opened and he stared down at the knife sticking into him. Drew had stabbed himself in the heart. Sebastian had not a second to even gasp before he plunged from the other man's body.
Damn him. He'd killed himself?
A surge of power hit him and he stared down from the ceiling as Marina aimed for him again. Oh no. He wasn't getting trapped in the jar with his mother. He had to go feed. Then he'd be back to end them once and for all.
* * * *
Marina had fixed all the wards. She'd never be cocky again. Every night before she slept, every morning when she woke, their protection would be strengthened. It was the least she could do.
Jason and Charma were behind closed doors with her love. Marina banged her head on the wall. They had to save them. They just did.
Loraine came up next to her and, like the moment in the kitchen, took her hand. Strength. Acceptance. It was what they gave each other. Movement caught her eye as Eden appeared. She'd been knocked unconscious by a spell. Another thing Marina stored in her ever piling up stock of guilt. She'd stopped the mother demon and nearly doomed them all. Eden strung her fingers in Marina's other hand.
Isabelle appeared next. The woman who had started their battle, the reason they'd stopped running. She smiled at Marina before she took Loraine's hand. Ruby was next. The shy woman had finally started opening up to all of them. She was a genius and a fighter in her own right. She took Eden's outstretched offering.
No one spoke. What was there to say, really? Charma was busy or she'd have been there too. The men fought the battles—except lately Marina found she did, too—and the women were the strength. Arguably more powerful than their male counterparts, she didn't have to ask to know they understood her pain.
"Does Leonardo still have Alexa locked up?" Anything to take her mind off Drew stabbing himself in the heart.
Isabelle nodded. "She's tough. Loraine and I tried to go in there and she threw us out. She radiates power."
"The evil kind." Loraine groaned. "And Gabe blames himself."
"I need to talk to Zane. He won't like what I have to tell him. His woman's in trouble. He's going to have to get her."
Marina stared at Eden's profile; the sadness in her eyes seemed more palpable than usual. "Well go do that."
"Not yet. I'll tell him soon."
Marina would never understand prophecy. It made so little sense. Sometimes it was right, often wrong and she didn't envy Eden. Not for a minute.
Charma appeared in the doorway. She was paler than usual, her eyes huge. "He's okay. Well, he's sleeping but he'll be fine. Jason repaired the damage and I found the hole. The one where Sebastian gets in. When he did it this time, he was sloppy. It was huge. I repaired it. All of it. Emotional tie to Sebastian is gone."
Marina dropped her hands and rushed to throw her arms around Charma. "I love you; my sister."
The hug that answered her felt exhausted. "Jason's already out cold and I have to join him. Too much these last few days. Between Alexa being maybe unfixable and now this? We're a mess."
"You're a goddess."
"Well, maybe I'm that, too."
* * * *
Drew looked around. High tide was in and the ocean pushed at his feet, burying his toes in the sand as it pulled back. How had he gotten here?
"You're not crazy."
He turned around at the sound of Marina's voice. She sat back a bit, watching him, an amused grin on her face. "Sebastian burned our garden. So I built this."
Drew walked toward her, every step feeling like it took too long until he could pull her into his arms. "This is a dream?"
"You're asleep. And they tell me you really need your rest. I'm not to wake you. Only, I can't leave you alone. So I took a nap."
He looked around at their ocean paradise. "How did you do this?"
She shrugged. "I'm full of tricks."
She was so beautiful, his woman. So consistently unexpected. She never stopped gaining powers and her heart was so big, so full, so generous he didn't know if she even understood how tremendously fabulous she was.
He loved her so completely he might burst from it.
With no other choice, he kissed her hard on the mouth. She opened for him, his Marina. His heart. His woman.
"You put a knife in your own heart." She slapped him on the chest. "And you nearly stopped my life when you did."
Drew smoothed the hair off her forehead. "I'm sorry. I had no other choice. But I know what it would have cost me to see you do the same. Forgive me?"
"No." She kicked him lightly in the shin. "I'm not going to. Ever."
"All right. Fair enough." He picked her up in his arms before he laid her down and the lay beside her on the sand. "We'll just lie here in the sunset on the beach and you can be mad at me."
"Sounds like a plan." She snuggled up against him. "Can I ask you something?"
Whatever she wanted to know must be bad or she'd never have asked the question. "Anything. Always." She placed her hand on his chest covering his heart. "It's still beating." "And only for you."
"Would you do it again? Keep us apart for as long as you did?"
"No." He closed his eyes and listened to the ocean. His woman pressed to his side made him feel warm and complete. "I'd rush in the first day I found you. The day with the sheriff, when Leonardo killed Veli. And I'd never leave you again. I thought I was protecting you. Foolish. Stupid." His mouth felt heavy, his tongue as though it didn't want to form words.
"Rest, my love." She kissed his side. "This might even be too much for you. Heal. Sleep. I have to go anyway. Leonardo wants a meeting."
"Is it bad I'm not even a little bit sorry to be missing it?"
She snuggled closer. "Get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."