AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re a bloody pain in my arse,” David mumbled as he dropped to his knees next to me, his hand encompassing my right hand. He leaned over me, his battered face blocking out the stars. “Let go of the sword, Ellie.”
I stared up at him, his injuries only adding to my guilt. “They hurt you because of me. They killed Myra because of me. I hurt everyone I love. I can’t hurt them anymore. Soon there won’t be anyone left.”
“I’m too bloody stubborn to leave you alone, so don’t you dare leave me, you bloody fool. I need you, Ellie.” His voice cracked. “Let go of the sword.” His mouth lowered to mine and my fingers relaxed and the sword fell as I felt his love fuse with mine.
Then David was gone and Collin was with me, pressing our marks together. Power surged through my hand and into my body and I cried out, unable to take it all in. The stars filled my vision again, and then I was swept back to the beginning when the universe began. Only this time, I wasn’t alone. Collin was with me. An explosion of energy and light ripped through my consciousness, hurling me through time and space as I witnessed the birth of the stars, violent eruptions that filled the black expanse with clouds of reds and oranges, blues and greens. The beauty was almost too much to take in as the massive power of the explosion filled me, consumed me, and then hurled me to the birth of our own star, our own planet. Once again, I was the first drop of water to join with the molten lava on the surface of Earth. Time raced by, and I experienced the birth of Ahone and the other gods, the evolution of the earth, the creation of humanity. It all came to a screeching halt at the gate to hell. I stood in front of it, wearing the ring and holding the Sword of Galahad. Collin was next to me, brandishing a spear, and I was chanting in a language I didn’t recognize. Suddenly I was infused with an overwhelming power, and the gate to hell erupted with a blinding white light.
I knew my purpose.
I was the alpha and the omega.
Demons would fall before me.
Collin released my hand, severing our connection, and we both gasped for breath. He fell on his back, next to my side. “My God, Ellie. I was there. At the birth of the universe. I was there watching it with you.” He pushed up on his elbows. “How can you see that and be the same?”
I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t. Especially after seeing the last part.
“I can usually feel your emotions, but this time I only had a vague sense of being with you, like I was looking over your shoulder. Did you feel me through our connection this time?”
“No.” I sat up. “No.”
Tsagasi appeared next to us, his face grimmer than usual, holding the ring between his thumb and finger. “You’re not done.”
Chapter27
“The demon that calls itself the Great One has escaped and is returning to the body of its deceased host,” Tsagasi said. “If you hurry, you can catch it.”
Myra.
She might be dead, but I would destroy the thing that killed her.
I took the ring from the little man and put it on my left hand. Then I scrambled to my feet and retrieved the Sword of Galahad.
Collin jumped up, still wielding his own weapon. When he started to pick up a sword from one of the fallen Guardians, Tsagasi stopped him.
“You don’t have time to waste. My friends and I will collect them while you pursue the Great One.”
Collin nodded, but I turned back to the little man. “Are all of these weapons warded?”
“No.”
“Find me one that is. David needs it.” I had no idea what we were about to face, but I wasn’t leaving the man I loved unprotected.
Tsagasi waddled over to a group of bodies and pulled a short sword from the pile. “Here. This will work for him.”
David took the weapon, and the three of us took off running for the parking lot, but it soon became apparent that David’s injuries were slowing him down. “Go without me, Ellie. Get the wanker,” he said, holding his side.
“Sorry, Doc.” Collin grabbed his arm and pulled him along. “You’re one of us now.”
We climbed into the front seat of Collin’s truck, with me in the middle, and Collin sped down Highway 64 toward the bed and breakfast.
“I saw this thing when they held me prisoner,” David said, shouting to be heard over the wind rushing through the windows. “I know what it does. I know how to stop it.”
“How?” Collin asked, his grip tight on the steering wheel.
“It’s a demon that mimics its host. It kills the host and stores the body in the victim’s home. It leaves a token that stays with the body, a stone that hangs from a cord around the victim’s neck. It helps slow down decomposition. But once the body has decomposed too much, the demon must retrieve the token and find a new host within twenty-four hours.”
“And if it loses the token or doesn’t find a new host within that time frame?”
