Catherine Spangler - [Sentinel 02] - Touched By Fire (v5.0) (html) (25 page)

She was tempted to go back down and tell Adam what she and Luke did on their own time wasn’t his damned business and not only that, it had been
her
idea. But she knew this wasn’t the time and place. It wasn’t about Luke and her right now. It was about a monster with no conscience—one that was planning to kill more innocent people. She turned and went up the stairs.

 

 

IT was pretty cold at 6:00 a.m. in April in Dallas. Barrie’s car was a cute light blue Volkswagen Eos convertible, but of course they didn’t put the top down. They took coffee with them, which Marla sipped as they drove to the first church on the list. She still felt blurry and out of it. Luke, on the other hand, seemed fully alert and ready for anything.

They didn’t talk much, which was fine with Marla. She wasn’t functional enough to discuss what had happened last night. Even if she’d been at the top of her game, she wouldn’t know what to say. She had never taken After Sex Etiquette 101. Was it appropriate to say something like, “Thank you for screwing my brains out last night. Let’s do it again soon”?

And if she didn’t say anything, then what would Luke think? That she was ungrateful or hadn’t enjoyed it? At the same time, she didn’t want him thinking she was needy and expected a repeat performance, either. For all she knew, he might be considering the sex a done deal, mission accomplished. He had rid her of her virginity as requested.

Another unpleasant possibility occurred to her. Maybe, since he knew about the attack eleven years ago, it had simply been a mercy fuck. Her heart twisted at that thought, but she’d known going in that Luke didn’t want involvement.

No regrets
, she told herself firmly. Besides, it was time to focus on stopping this Belian creep. So she pushed away thoughts of mind-blowing sex with Luke and turned her attention to their first church.

It was strange walking around a church in the early morning, with the sun just starting to come up over the horizon. Marla kept expecting local police patrols to stop and question them, but she knew Luke could probably handle mere human police.

They settled into a routine. Luke would do the walk around while she’d take a picture of the church, return to the car, and plug the camera into the laptop to send the photo to Adam. She also made the progress calls every thirty minutes, while Luke was either driving or checking out a church. So far, there’d been no energy traces from the Belian. Unfortunately, Dallas appeared to have a huge number of white churches.

The sun was fully up, and it was rapidly approaching the deadline time to bring in the police, when Luke’s cell phone rang. He’d just gotten back in the car from checking another church and he opened his phone.

“Yes, Adam. You found it? Give me the address and we’ll be right there.” He disconnected, looked at Marla. “Barrie located it, believe it or not.” Pride reverberated in his voice.

Despite the circumstances, Marla smiled at him. “Of course I believe it. She
is
a Sentinel, and she seems very smart and very conscientious. She’ll do great when she’s on her own.”

Worry replaced the warm glow in Luke’s eyes as he wheeled the Eos around. “I hope so.”

“I know so, big bro.”

He shook his head, but he grinned back at her.

It took them ten minutes to get to the church. It was only a few miles from the first church, in the same old-money area of Dallas. Shaped like a giant arch, with the doorways and windows repeating the shape, it was a huge, stately, beautiful building that was almost one hundred years old.

There were various vehicles already on the scene: Adam, Damien, and Barrie’s vehicles, two Dallas PD squad cars and two vans that had “Dallas Criminal Intelligence Unit” written on them. “The Dallas Terrorism Squad falls under the DCIU,” Luke explained.

“Are they basically the bomb squad?”

“Yes.” He parked and got out. “Stay here until I find out what Adam wants us to do.” He leaned down and gave her his no-nonsense look. “You don’t want to cross me on this, Marla.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

He gave her another look, closed the door and walked over to where Adam was talking with three uniformed officers. Obviously, the Sentinels were working with the local authorities in this instance.

Luke talked with Adam and the police for a few moments, then returned to the car. “Adam, Damien, Barrie, and I are going to do an outside walk around and try to pick up the Belian’s energy. Since we know its using remote detonation and might still be in the vicinity, we’ll also check the area before anyone goes into the church. Adam wants you, Kara, and Julia to get into the Mercedes, drive it a few blocks down, and wait for us.”

Marla wanted to argue. She hated the thought of Luke being near the church and it possibly exploding. But at the same time, she accepted that he didn’t need her help this time, and that he and the other Sentinels could work better knowing their human counterparts were out of harm’s way. So she slid out of the car and closed the door. Luke was already walking away.

As she went to join Julia and Kara, Marla offered a prayer for the Sentinels and the police, all working perilously close to a time bomb—literally.

SEVENTEEN

HE couldn’t believe it. He fucking couldn’t believe it. They had found his target. How? How could they have known? Someone was helping them. Someone who somehow knew his actions . . . Marla? Could it be? No. He’d been smart and clever with her. She didn’t even know where he was.

Still, he would find her and make sure. No one was going to stop him. Belial would see to that. But the rage vibrated inside him as he watched the people milling around the church, watched those he was certain were Sentinels. They radiated the power. Damn them to the fires of Belial! His fury was so strong, he was shaking. He wanted to kill someone.

Too bad he’d already dispatched the stupid old lady who owned this house. It had been ridiculously easy. As soon as she’d seen him, she’d opened the door like he was a long lost son. His knife had taken the smile off her face, though. Belial had been pleased with the blood.

So he had a house right across the street from his target, and he could see everything. He’d planned to wait until the eleven o’clock service, when they had the highest attendance. Then he was going to blow the worthless fools to the skies and watch the activities from the safety of the house. No one would even think to look for him here. It had been brilliant, perfect. And they had ruined it!

With a howl of fury, he whirled and grabbed up the detonator he’d placed on the antique side table. He’d show them. Walking back to the window, he fingered the remote. The anticipation of detonating made him hard, his cock pressing painfully against his pants. But he wouldn’t be allowed release this time, either. No, his plan hadn’t been executed perfectly. Belial would not be pleased.

He set off the bombs.

 

 

MARLA dragged into Beau’s bedroom and threw herself facedown on the bed. God, what a day! She’d witnessed another explosion, and wasn’t she the lucky one? Fortunately, no one had died in the explosion, because the police hadn’t yet entered the church.

They’d just started a search of the immediate neighborhood to try to determine if the Belian was in the vicinity when the blasts had blown out the front windows of that grand old church. The sanctuary had been destroyed. Some of the officers had suffered cuts and contusions, but nothing fatal. If there had been people inside . . . Marla shuddered at the thought.

The explosions had triggered a massive manhunt, which had led to the discovery of the poor old lady in the house across the street, after Adam sensed the Belian energy around the home. Her throat had been cut, and her breasts and abdomen slashed numerous times.

There had been no sign of the Belian, not a single scrap of metal or wire, although the forensics crew had taken samples from the home, hoping to find fibers or DNA or anything that would lead them to the guy.

Marla didn’t hold much hope for the scientific approach, but Luke said they’d gotten some strong energy patterns from the house. She was glad she hadn’t gone inside; she didn’t think she could have dealt with the Belian’s killing energy as he massacred that helpless woman. Just the thought made her sick.

She lay on the bed, utterly exhausted, and actually wished Luke would come and zap some woo-woo mojo on her, so she could forget about the past few days and the murdered grandmother. She hadn’t felt truly safe since Bennett’s attack on Julia, but this was even worse. There was a superhuman being on the loose that had no conscience and thrived on violence and death. And she had touched it on an ethereal level. She didn’t even want to think about it.

She rested a few minutes, trying to get up enough energy to either go downstairs and join in the war council in progress or take a long hot bath. She felt dirty from the smoke and from the negative and horrified energies of the police and onlookers, and from the discovery that a helpless old woman had been murdered, not to mention the knowledge that the Belian had been nearby while she and Kara and Julia were sitting in Adam’s Mercedes. But she wasn’t sure anything could wash away the stain.

“Hey,” Luke said.

She rolled over and saw him standing in the doorway. “Hey. Have the joint chiefs of staff disbanded?”

He came in and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re so entertaining.”

Bryony, who’d become his constant companion, trotted behind him and jumped on the bed. Marla sat up and stroked the poodle. “Can’t help it. This has been one the best days ever—
not
.” She sighed. “I am so tired. I’m sure you are, too.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “We all are. I’ve never seen Sentinels come together like this to hunt a Belian, and the damned thing is still eluding us.”

“Where is everyone?”

“They’re leaving. We each have our assignments, and we need to eat and rest and regroup. Julia said to tell you she’ll see you tomorrow. She didn’t want to disturb you, especially if you were sleeping.”

The thought of Julia brought up another concern. “When Adam gave out these so-called assignments, did he mention a conduction with Julia? Because if he did—”

“He didn’t.” Luke interjected. “He’s far more powerful than Damian or me, and he can accomplish as much with a simple third eye link as we can in several conductions. Besides, he’s well aware of Julia’s past experience and wouldn’t do anything harmful to her.”

“He was willing to let a church blow up without warning anyone, because he didn’t want the Belian getting away,” Marla pointed out, referring to the first church.

“You know that’s not entirely true. We had no idea where the church might be, and we couldn’t just set off a panic. We hoped we had until today to find it. The Belian jumped the gun on that one. Believe me when I tell you that protecting innocents is a primary goal.”

“I’m not sure what I believe anymore.” She rolled her head and shoulders, hoping to ease the tension. “I’m sorry. I’m not fit company tonight.”

“Understandable. We’re all on edge.” Luke watched her a moment. “There’s something you and I need to do.”

Her stomach did its clenching routine. Like Pavlov’s dog, she’d become conditioned, responding to thoughts of the Belian with physical distress. Good thing she hadn’t eaten in hours. “Great,” she muttered. “I get to talk to psycho bomber.”

“That’s not our assignment.”

“It’s not?”

“No. We believe the Belian is out of control. The rage and hatred are driving it now, and you probably wouldn’t get any useful information at this point. Plus the danger to you would be greater.”

Relief swept through her. “Oh, darn. I was so looking forward to exposing myself to depravity and evil.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Laughter flashed in Luke’s eyes; then his gaze turned serious. “We’re going to do a conduction instead.”

She had mixed emotions about that. Chakra energies and the sexual barrage were darned uncomfortable. But maybe they’d get some solid information. “I can hardly wait.”

“Marla, Adam wants us to do a full conduction.”

Surprise and fatigue were dulling her thought processes, and it took a moment for her to realize his full meaning. “We’re doing a
sexual
conduction?”

“Yes. Unless you refuse.”

She hadn’t considered that possibility, not even after doing the horizontal mamba with Luke. Not that she’d had much time since then to think about anything other than the horrors perpetuated by the Belian. “So Adam knows about last night. He knew when he saw me this morning, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. He can read auras and energies around people.”

“Gee, that’s comforting. I hope you told him that what happened between us was none of his damned business.”

“The Sentinels and conductors operating in Adam’s region are very much his business. I told him I accepted full responsibility for last night.”

That really irritated her. She came to her knees and stabbed a finger against his chest. “Listen Mr. Macho Hero, what we did was
my
idea. I can take responsibility for my own actions, thank you very much.” Bryony, thinking they were playing, shoved between them with a playful growl.

Luke picked up the dog and put her on the floor. “Stay!” he ordered. Then to Marla, “I
am
responsible. I should have had more control.”

Back to that again. He obviously regretted what had happened, which hurt more than she wanted to admit. “And I suppose that makes me a bimbo who doesn’t know her own mind.”

He swept his hand through his hair, his expression frustrated. “Damn it, Marla, you know that’s not the case. But we shouldn’t ha—”

“It’s done, okay?” she snapped, furious and upset. “And I, for one, don’t regret it. So quit the noble crap. When are we going to do the conduction?”

Staring at her, he heaved out a breath. “Although you’re no longer a virgin, you’re still not experienced. And I’m sure you’re sore after last night. The sex during a conduction can be rough. You’d don’t have to do it.”

More likely
he
didn’t want to do it, and hoped she’d opt out. But right now, she was willing to do whatever it took to bring the Belian to justice. Beyond that, she was just selfish enough that she wanted to experience every ounce of passion that she could with Luke. She didn’t know if she’d ever have the same sexual desire with any other man. When this was over, Luke would walk away. But for now, he was here. She intended to savor every sensual moment with him.

“I’ve already signed the waiver of liability and indemnity,” she said, keeping her voice even. “If a full conduction will help find the Belian, then I’m in. Let’s do it.”

 

 

AFTER his shower, Luke didn’t bother to get dressed. He’d soon be getting horizontal with Marla, so why go to the trouble? He hung up his towel and went to smooth the rumpled bed covers. With his heightened sense of smell, he readily picked up the comingled scents of sex and Marla, and his body tightened in response. By The One, she was sexy, and she didn’t even realize it. That in itself was a powerful aphrodisiac.

There was an intense pull between them, and he knew it superseded the normal Sentinel/conductor attraction. She was smart, courageous, and funny. He’d never realized how much humor added to a personality. He’d laughed more with Marla than he’d laughed in years—maybe since his mother died.

Yet he knew they had no future. They were both scarred from different life events. Hopefully, Marla would overcome her personal demons and find the love and security she deserved. But that was not his destiny. Sentinels were generally loners by nature, partly because what they did was so damned dangerous. Luke firmly believed that remaining distant from others would insure less pain and suffering all the way around.

He went to his closet and pulled out one of the indigo candles he kept stocked on the top shelf. He set it on the special holder by the bed and lit it. The scents of frankincense and ginger drifted through the air. The energies from the color and the fragrances would enhance the conduction and create a stronger sexual surge, which was why the candles weren’t used for nonsexual conductions.

That done, he slid beneath the covers and waited for Marla. She’d probably be surprised to find him nude and in bed, but there really wasn’t any other way to start a full conduction, since the energies rose so quickly and the surge was raw and wild.

While he waited, he entered a light meditative state to center himself. The soft knock pulled him back to the here and now. “Come in.”

Marla opened the door, her eyes widening when she saw him in the bed. “Uh, are you ready?”

“Always. Come on in.”

She walked in, adorable in the same nightshirt she’d worn last night. Her hair was in its usual riotous curls, and her glasses had slipped down her nose. She stood there, chewing her bottom lip. That sexy unconscious gesture sent the blood spiraling downward. He was already hard and she hadn’t even gotten close enough to engage the Sentinel /conductor energies.

“Close the door, please.”

She did as he asked, then turned slowly. She was nervous, which was not surprising. He might have taken her innocence last night, but that didn’t make her sexually experienced. She had an innate purity that radiated from her. It was probably one of the things that had drawn the Belian to her.

He patted the mattress. “Come over here.”

She walked to the bed. He raised the cover for her, and she slid beneath it. Her closeness and her fresh soapy scent sent the energies racing through him. He suspected they were about to have a killer conduction. He scooted closer, rested his hand on her hip. He sensed her heart pounding.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“Not at all.”

“Liar.”

“If you knew the answer, why did you ask? And do you always start full conductions naked?”

“There’s my Marla. The answer is yes. For a sexual conduction, it’s always easiest to ‘assume the position,’ so to speak. It gets wild pretty quickly. Got anything on under that shirt?”

“No.”

Knowing Marla was naked beneath the nightshirt brought the vivid memory of how smooth and supple her skin was, how she’d felt beneath him last night, but he forced it away. He could let her keep the shirt on, but after last night’s intimacy, that seemed absurd.

“Why don’t you just slip that off while I shield.” He wrapped his hand around his crystal, drew in energy and circled it around them.

“I can feel that,” she said as she pulled off the shirt.

“Good.” He dropped the pendant and eased her against him.

She was warm and soft and delectable. For a crazy moment, he wished they didn’t have to do a conduction, that he could simply taste and touch her as he wanted to. Resolutely, he brought his focus back to the matter at hand. He touched her lightly, his fingers sliding over the resilient flesh of her thigh, and coming to rest on her hip. He heard the quick intake of her breath.

His body was already thrumming with need, his cock painfully hard, and they hadn’t even joined hands. He reached down and tugged off her glasses. She stared up at him, her gaze trusting and accepting. She was turning him inside out.