Love Beyond Expectations

  Dropping to the ground, he managed to grab onto Ruby and keep her from hitting hard. He could take the pain, having done it now more times than he could count. Her small body shouldn't have to endure it.

  She grabbed her head and rolled off him. "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. You take the switching places with more pain than me."

  "Right." She nodded. "You aren't going to believe this but I didn't do that on purpose. I grabbed your hand. I know I did. I had no idea you were going to say it out loud."

  "I never thought you did." Had she suddenly become devious? He doubted it. It would have been a good a manipulation if she'd meant it. Christophe knew Ruby's soul. It didn't go that way.

  "Where are we?" He looked around as he stood up.

  "It has to be somewhere around Jacob Talbot." He looked up and saw a sign on a door that read office. "I bet he's in there."

  "Shouldn't he notice we're out here?"

  "Good question."

  They'd fallen into some kind of room that looked a great deal like a waiting room. Leather chairs and an expensive looking Persian rug decorated the area. This Talbot fellow certainly had a lot of money for a man of faith.

  "There's nothing we can do but go look." They were there; they should get what they came for. Even if he had to scrounge up a gun and shoot the man in the temple. He shook his head. Ruby was correct, he had gone bloodthirsty.

  His years of running and hiding were behind him. For Ruby, he would always be brave.

  They walked together toward the door. "Do you want to knock?"

  She shook her head before grabbing the door handle. It swung open when she tried it. Talbot didn't believe in locking his doors? He'd clearly never taught college students who weren't happy with their grades. They didn't need Ruby's magic key either. This must not be what she needed it for.

  When she tried to walk in first, he stopped her. He'd go ahead of her until he determined the room safe. She looked up, perhaps to argue, but something on his face made her step back.

  His resolve had to be written all over it. She would not get hurt doing this.

  Christophe heard him as soon as he entered. On his knees before a large gold cross, the figure of Jacob Talbot appeared the figure of penance and piety.

  "Hello, Mr Talbot," Christophe said, staring down at the little man.

  "Parishioners are asked to wait outside until I have finished my evening prayer."

  Christophe snickered. "I am not among your faithful. And I'm really, truly, glad about that."

  "Neither am I." Ruby scooted around him. So much for her taking his need to protect her seriously. "Because I would never follow a man who convinced a young, probably mentally ill, woman to kill herself."

  Talbot's eyes widened and Christophe knew the second he'd realized who stood in the room with him. His cheeks turned a deep red shade. "Ruby Brannon."

  "That's right. The daughter of the woman you killed. And the granddaughter of the people you terrified. But you never caught me. And now I have you."

  Jacob stood up. "Do you mean to kill me?"

  "Yes."

  Christophe didn't flinch when Ruby said that, but her resolve in what she said took him by surprise. She really did mean to kill this man. That'd be fine. If she wanted him dead, he'd be gone.

  "You aren't going to kill me. Because I have the wrath of God on my side."

  He picked up his staff. Christophe got a good enough look at it to see it was indeed the staff they needed.

  "That belongs to us." Ruby held out his hand. "Give it to us, you thief."

  "This was given to me by God. It holds his power, and now I will use it on you."

  Given to him by God? Christophe knew that couldn't be true. For a multitude of reasons. But whoever, or whatever, had handed that staff to him couldn't be good.

  "Ruby." He jumped forward, knocking her to the ground while he placed his body on top of hers.

  It wasn't a moment too soon. Heat infused his body as some sort of energy was released from the staff. Stars flew before his eyes. He groaned instead of screaming. So help him, he wouldn't give the son of a bitch the satisfaction. If Colin could withstand torture so could he.

  As if he'd conjured his brother, Colin, Leonardo, and Kal busted through the door. Kal cursed, letting loose his own electricity at Jacob Talbot. The reverend yowled before turning into dust on the floor.

  Christophe let his head hit the wood. Damn. This truly…sucked.

  "How badly are you hurt?" Leonardo asked, peeling him off Ruby.

  "Christophe." Her eyes were full of tears. "This is my fault."

  "No. We did this together."

  "Eden had a vision. It's a good thing she did"—Kal kneeled down next to them—"or you would be dead."

  Right at that moment, with his body vibrating on the ground, death didn't sound so bad to him.

  * * * *

  He opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling in their room. At some point, maybe with the addition of his clothes, it had become their room instead of just Ruby's room. They had three more they could furnish, too. That would have to come later. Right then was not the time for decorating.

  "Are you okay?" Ruby rubbed a cool compress over his head.

  "With you playing nurse, I'm fine. I told you a million times, mon coeur, I will survive this. A little frying can't kill me."

  "That was all my fault." She'd been saying that since they'd gotten back.

  "We were both to blame for that stupidity." He sat up, his abs objecting to the strain. Apparently getting electrocuted over and over again made muscles pretty tired.

  But he was better off than Talbot. Kal had made him nothing more than dust on the wind. Christophe would need to remember never to piss that man off.

  "At least we got the staff. Thanks to Kal."

  "Do you know what bothers me about the whole thing?" He stroked her hair. She needed to process what happened. He understood that. His only wish would be that she could do it without somehow shouldering the responsibility of the whole thing.

  "What? You have just one thing that bothers you?" Her eyes were tired. In a few minutes, he would suggest she nap.

  "Many things bother me." He laughed. She amused him to no end. "But one thing in particular."

  "Tell me." She kissed the top of his hand. His whole body shuddered. Ruby affected him as no other.

  He sighed. One thought had plagued him all afternoon. "The key."

  "The key? I still have it." She took it out of his pocket.

  "Why were you given the mechanism if not to use it on Talbot? He did not require it. We were zapped into his headquarters. His office door opened with no trouble." He pointed at the key. "Why did you get that? Does it still burn in your hand?"

  She nodded. "It does."

  "Then it's still meant for you, and we don't know why."

  "Maybe it's something that will happen in the future."

  He sighed. "I don't think so. It's still burning. It's meant to be used."

  She kissed him. "So what are you thinking then?"

  "Get the group. We need to have a meeting. I think the key to this will be to not go flying off by ourselves. If we can learn anything from our blunder, it will be that. The Outsiders are a team."

  "I'll go get them."

  Ruby turned on her heel and ran from the room. He loved to watch her backside, which was the only thing he liked about her leaving at all. A few minutes later, she returned.

  He sat up and got off the bed while, little by little, the rest of the Outsiders, except Drew and Marina, filed into the room. Leonardo let him know they wouldn't be coming. Perhaps it would have made sense to conduct the discussion somewhere other than his bedroom. Although, considering the state of things, it was probably as good a place as any.

  "All right, Ruby says you have some insight here. I, for one, could really use some. It's been a long time since we had any." Leonardo put his hands on his hips.

  "The key. We never used it. I think we
should find out why."

  Isabelle answered before Leonardo could. "How would you propose doing that?"

  "Ruby, don't touch me while I answer her." Ruby took a safe step away from him. "I think I should say aloud that I want to be taken to the place where we need the key."

  The room fell silent. Did they all think he was insane?

  "That's a really good idea." Leonardo nodded. "And you bringing us all here tells me that you are interested in doing this with all of us together. That's the right thing. Even if sometimes I wish all of you would handle things on your own."

  "Is now a good time? Should we be waiting for Drew and Marina?"

  "No." Leonardo shook his head. The loudness with which he answered told Christophe that was all the answer he could expect at that moment. "Now is probably fine. Hell, I would love to tangle with Sebastian right now. It might even get some of my energy out."

  Colin moved until he stood next to him. "You've really gotten yourself under control. It's fantastic."

  Christophe smiled at Colin. "You look good. Relaxed even."

  "Well, I don't have you to take care of right now. Easy living."

  The asshole. He smiled. At some point, he'd learn how to spar with him.

  "Ruby." He held out his hand. Christophe loved that he needed Ruby to work his transport. Together they were so much stronger than they were apart.

  She took his hand, and he squeezed it. "Take us to where we need that key."

  He hit the ground hard, Ruby's hand still in his. Sooner or later he was going to start to bruise if this kept up. Ruby winced, smiling at him. He could handle this if they did it together.

  Leonardo jumped to his feet. "Everyone up. We need to be diligent."

  "Where are we?" Eden didn't move her head but Samuel did. She could see through his eyes.

  "No visions on this?" Christophe would love to know how the future prophesying worked.

  "I wish I had that kind of control." She smiled. "But I know where we are. It's the caves. Where Abraxas lived."

  "How do you know that?" Her surety amazed Christophe.

  "I saw a picture in the books. Aren't I right, Ruby?"

  His love grinned. "You are. I guess we have to see what there is to see. It's not every day we hang out in historical Outsider places. This is right up my alley."

  "Then lead on, Ruby. Let's see why the key wants to be here."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ruby walked forward, not surprised when Leonardo rushed to join her. They shared the same interests in history. If this sort of thing made her excited, it was bound to do the same for him.

  Christophe squeezed her hand before he spoke to Leonardo. "You getting into this place too, Leonardo? Been waiting your whole life to wander these fair halls?"

  Leonardo shook his head. "This is a cave, Christophe. Aren't you some kind of rock professor? Getting all exciting by the stalagmites?"

  "You two knock it off. The time for macho one-upmanship has long passed. We need to do what we need to do and then get out of here."

  Ruby shuddered, looking around the place. Abraxas had lived here in hiding for the last year of his life. Alone. Even his wife had taken their daughter and gone to live elsewhere, believing he couldn't keep the children safe. Marina had a lot of his powers. They guessed she might be his daughter but who knew. It wasn't like they could do DNA testing.

  The cave was huge. It had been carved out to resemble some kind of large house. A dining room with now decrepit furniture stood to her left. She had no idea where the key would work, but it seemed smart to just start trying doors.

  "Everyone. Can I have your attention please?" That's exactly how she handled her classes. It would have to work for the group of Outsiders as well. They did fall silent and look toward her.

  "This is what we're going to do." She held everyone's attention, even Christophe's, who stared at her with a mixture of respect and love beaming from his eyes. "We are going to try every door, every window, every drawer, every open-able thing in this cave. We're going to do this meticulously. If you find anything locked, or even anything that seems stuck, call me in and I'll try the key. We'll just keep doing that until we figure out what we are dealing with here."

  "It's a good plan." Loraine smiled at her. "The sooner we figure out what we're dealing with, the sooner we can get out of this creepy place."

  Ruby knew the others were bothered by their surroundings. She could tell by how they fidgeted and stared at the walls. To her, even as she could feel Abraxas's horror at living alone in despair over what had happened to his people, she could also appreciate the sheer artistry of the whole thing.

  He had made this place for a purpose. A cave for a home that felt like a nice looking hotel. Or, as close to one as a cave could feel.

  She stepped away from the group, moving toward the end of the hall. Christophe followed but kept his distance while she looked around. The noise behind her became little other than peripheral distraction, while she walked toward one particular door—a red one with an ornate design on it—and the chanters became louder in her ears.

  Okay. I'm on the right path.

  Or maybe they just liked that Christophe was with her. Relying on the chanters to help determine her life seemed a poor choice.

  "What are you thinking, mon coeur?" Christophe said from behind her.

  She pointed forward. "For now, I'm walking this way." To the red door at the end of the hall. But should she? None of the other doors were red; they were all brown or gray. Did Abraxas paint it red to keep people out or encourage them to go in? If only she could have read those journals before coming here. She might have had a better sense of the man, of what made him tick.

  Did red mean good or did red mean bad?

  "Come on, Abraxas. Talk to me."

  She could see him pacing the halls. Dark haired with streaks of gray, brown eyes, he stood about Christophe's height. All the Outsiders were tall; he'd not been an exception. His staff gripped tightly in his hand, it moved with him fluidly like the man always carried it.

  He turned to stare right at her, and she jolted. For a second, it had seemed like he really saw her. But that couldn't be possible.

  All she had were visions, not visits. Isabelle could travel through time, not Ruby. She didn't need to collect that power. It didn't interest her in the least. Reading about history was one thing. Going back to those times made her shudder. What if she got stuck?

  Abraxas walked forward to the red door. He pulled the key out of his pocket and tugged open the door. It creaked and groaned while it opened. He stepped inside, and her vision vanished.

  Christophe shook her gently. "You okay?"

  "Yes." She nodded and reached out to stroke his chest through his shirt. "Sorry. I had a vision."

  "Anything good?"

  She pointed at the door at the end of hallway. "That's where we're going."

  "To the red door. He certainly did want that door noticeable."

  "That's exactly what I had been thinking. The question concerns me a bit. What is behind that locked door, and why is it painted red?"

  Ruby picked up the key from her pocket. It burned. According to Leonardo, that suggested she was meant to use it.

  She bit down on her lip. It burned. "What if Leonardo is wrong? What if it burns because I'm not supposed to use it?"

  Christophe nodded. She could see his mind working; his eyes darted around in their sockets. "That is a valid point. We are going on the premise that Leonardo knows of what he speaks."

  "Exactly. I mean doesn't burning mean ouch, please don't touch me?"

  He smiled. "We asked my powers to bring us to the place where we should use the key."

  "Correct. Where we should use the key. Does that mean we actually need to use it? What if that is the opposite of what we are supposed to do?"

  "Ruby, I leave this to you. But if it were me, I would open that door. I'd need to know what was behind it. Plus, I'd trust myself to be able to handle whatever came
out of there, if it did."

  "I don't think I can not open it either." She sucked in her breath. As an Outsider, she really wasn't supposed to be cautious. Not with this big, upcoming battle against the demon. No, she couldn't delay anymore. They had to see what Abraxas had hidden away so thoroughly. Perhaps it would make all the difference.

  She walked to the door and without hesitation, inserted the key. Turning it, she expected some kind of resistance, but it unlocked perfectly, and she heard the click indicating the door had unlatched.

  "All right." She turned the knob. It twisted and resisted opening like she had seen happen with Abraxas. He'd really had to shove it. She tried, but it wouldn't move for her.

  Although it made her feel completely non-feminist, she turned to Christophe. "Could you please open the door?"

  "I'll give it a try." He pushed it, and it opened right up like it hadn't been hard to budge. Ruby gritted her teeth. It figured. When this was over, she was going to work out. With large weights.

  She stepped inside and gasped. The room was loaded with books, tablets, and various objects she'd never seen before. This place, this had been where Abraxas had put his most important possessions. The magical objects of the Outsiders were all here.

  "Let me guess." Christophe grinned at her. "We've really stepped into the room of your dreams."

  "Without a doubt."

  Leonardo rounded the corner, stopping abruptly.

  "Holy shit."

  Yes, her sentiments exactly.

  * * * *

  They popped back into the Outsider house, Ruby hitting the ground hard. She rubbed at her shoulder. The sooner Christophe could stop transporting them around, the happier she would be.

  Christophe stood and did what she now knew to be his head count. He always did that, making sure that everyone made it wherever they went.

  The house shook beneath her, and she darted to her feet before she almost fell over. "What is happening?"

  Leonardo rushed forward. "Drew?" he called out as he ran.