LAILAH #2
I settled in the middle of the long couch, curling my legs under me and taking a long drink out of the glass.
The liquor warmed my belly and chased away the last of the chill from the battle.
Hudson was the first of the boys to finish up and came to sit next to me.
Then Brayden, Jay, and Micah followed, getting settled around me until Parker joined us last. He decided to sit on the ground, leaning against my legs and resting his head on my thigh.
Unable to hold myself back, I combed my fingers through his damp hair, setting me more at ease.
“Where do we even start?” Tobias asked, giving us all a critical look.
When none of the boys spoke up, I decided to take the lead. “Let’s start with what you don’t know.”
“How did all the boys end up here? That was not what we had been told would be happening over winter break,” Jay’s father demanded.
I took another sip of my drink, needing to center myself before dealing with this man. I reminded myself that he was Jay’s father and would be in my life for a very long time.
“A week ago, Brayden, Micah, and I went with the other Dolton kids sledding. While going down the sledding trail, we were attacked by a horde of demons. We decided to reach out to the others to make sure they weren’t also in danger.
” I paused and met his cool gaze. “They decided on their own to come here to help us figure out what was going on. I did not ask that of them.”
“Parker, why didn’t you tell us that is why you came here? We wouldn’t have stopped you from dealing with Elementi business! We know that is part of being a parent to an Elementi Warrior,” Tobias asked, disappointment written all over his face.
“We came just to make sure Lailah was okay, there was no way we could guess it would turn into something like this. Plus, there are other things you don’t know about the situation that I couldn’t tell you,” Parker explained.
Tobias’s frown deepened. “The Elementi do not keep secrets.”
“It’s not a secret when it’s not your information to give. Certain things have happened that involved Lailah, and I didn’t have her permission to share her private matters with others,” Parker explained.
My heart warmed that he would be so considerate not to share all the things that had happened since I came into power. I knew the Elementi prided themselves on being open and honest—no locked doors, as Beth would say.
“What Parker didn’t tell you is that I’m demon tainted.
I was out patrolling and got attacked, and even though I was healed and cleansed, I still have some demon venom lingering.
It has caused some side effects, and the Dark Lord is trying to use it as leverage to get me to join him,” I started, not wanting to cause any trouble between the boys and their families.
“What?!” Jay’s father spluttered, shooting to his feet. In his anger, he shifted to speaking Japanese, but you really didn’t need a translator to tell that he was unhappy.
“Makoto, English, please,” Chadwick chided the older man. “Now sit down and let the dear girl explain herself.”
I was beginning to like Hudson’s father more and more. Once everyone was settled back down, I continued.
“I understand that this may not be what you want to hear from the mythical Synergy you’ve been waiting for.
What you have to understand is that I am still HUMAN.
That means I will make mistakes, unforeseen things will happen, and I might lose my way.
On the other hand, I have five other people to encourage me and help me walk this path.
Synergy isn’t meant to be just a weapon, it’s not an object or power that can single-handedly wipe out the demon race,” I announced and watched as they shifted, unable to meet my eyes.
“As you saw tonight, I am a conduit. I can pull their power into myself and use it, or I can pour myself into them, boosting their ability.”
“The Elementi need to adjust their thinking when it comes to Synergy. Lailah is not an angelic holy being, she is human, and that is what makes her perfect,” Hudson said, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.
“It was only because the Dark Lord came to her that we figured out about Tabitha. None of us had any idea. That was all Lailah and Micah.”
Oliver leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and rolled his glass between his hands. “How did we miss that? We had her vetted, and she passed all the tests that we threw at her.”
“They are called the Dark Army,” Jay said. “Humans that are blessed with demonic abilities when the Dark Lord gives them his seal.”
Oliver nodded, draining the last of his drink before pouring more. “So the rumors are true? He has an army?” Oliver glanced over at Makoto. “Why didn’t you tell us? You and Jay have been investigating this for months.”
Makoto looked at Oliver out of the side of his eye and tipped up his chin slightly. “We did not have any definitive evidence. Each time we raided a camp, they’d abandoned the place, and there wasn’t much left behind for us to gather intel from.”
“Tabitha informed us that she was not the only one in the Elementi. In fact, she specifically said there was one or more in your company, Chadwick,” I said, redirecting the conversation and getting to the heart of the matter we needed to talk about.
“Oliver, what do you know about the secret project Adriana was working on?”
“She didn’t tell me much when I asked her.
She always made some excuse that I wouldn’t understand.
I knew that she was working with Chadwick, but I didn’t want to go behind her back to ask,” Oliver said, his face looking more haggard.
“I should have paid more attention to what was going on at home, but Tabitha always had a handle on things.”
As he talked, an idea filtered into my brain, and I turned to Hudson. “Could he have been dosed with enough of the serum to make him suggestible enough not to look into the matter?”
Hudson paused a beat before looking at his father. “What was the purpose she gave you for the formulation she was putting together?”
“Adriana came to me saying that she thought that she was getting Alzheimer’s or that her depression was so bad that it was affecting her memory.
She seemed to think that there was a way to slow down the progression or make the brain more open to receiving new information to compensate for what was being lost,” Chadwick answered.
“Have you dealt much with demon venom?” I asked.
Chadwick’s eyebrows raised. “No, I can’t say that it has been something I have spent much time working with. Once we figured out the basics of how to remove it from someone infected, there wasn’t much reason to keep looking into it.”
“Fair enough. But what if demon venom had been added to the formulation that you were creating with Adriana? Do you have a guess as to what that would have done?” I pressed, knowing I was on to something.
Chadwick looked stricken when he seemed to understand. “Oh God.”
Quickly he pulled out his cellphone and called someone.
They didn’t answer right away, but he called them back immediately.
“Denis, I’m sorry to call so late, but I need you to run down to my lab and see if the Day-Brite serum is still there in the fridge.
Yes, call me back as soon as you get there. ”
Something about that conversation made my stomach sink.
We all waited in silence, watching the phone laid on the coffee table between us all.
When it lit up with Denis’s name, Chadwick snatched it up to his ear.
Whatever Denis told him wasn’t what he wanted to hear, as he closed his eyes and dropped his phone to the floor.
“We finished the serum today. It was ready to be tested, and we made a batch of twenty vials. They’re gone.”
To be continued in Liberating Water
Elizabeth Knight
Elizabeth is an International Best Seller, originally from Illinois but now living in sunny Phoenix, AZ.
Elizabeth has been writing for nine years and started out in YA Fiction but recently found herself loving the Reverse Harem genre.
Like her favorite books, Elizabeth loves to write about strong women of all varieties.
Not all strength is flashy or apparent at first glance—some lies just under the surface.
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