Surprised, he sipped his beer. I joined my men on that op to extract Dakota and Kelly. Im a paper pusher now, not an operator.
Maybe its time you took off with your boys, joined a mission to evaluate their tactics and skills in the field. Spend quality time, jaw with them, get to know them again.
Suspicion filled him. Whats the deal, Keegan? You lost faith in me ever since I got carved like a Thanksgiving turkey?
Silence.
Anger slowly rose. Thats it, isnt it? You think if I were deployed more, Id have fried my attackers asses? Never mind the nine innocent childrens lives at stake. You think I wasnt strong enough to beat the demons.
Were you?
Dale set down the beer, his hands shaking. Screw you, Keegan.
Ill leave that for the wife. The admiral set down his barely touched glass. Dale, weve known each other for a long time and I have to say this. Im concerned about you, son.
He hissed out a breath. Im not your son. Im CO of the finest SEAL team in the United States Navy and a 420-year-old Mage.
And I have enough years to make you look like a baby sucking on his mommas tit. Dale, youre losing touch. Ive had reports of you being distracted, short-tempered and restless. I dont know if its a residual effect of what happened to you in that basement, or something else.
Reports from whom?
Your team.
Renegade? A sulky SEAL denied leave because Shay was on his honeymoon and I couldnt afford another man out?
No, Bryne said. All of them. The entire team. Even Robyn Lees, the new ensign who thinks you can do no wrong.
Dale sat back, trying to hide his shock. Nice of them to tell me.
Theyre worried about you. Youve changed.
Almost afraid to ask, he groped for his lost composure. You said it was my time in the basement or something else thats affected me. Whats the something else you think is wrong?
A woman.
Dale raked a hand through his short, dark hair and laughed. No womans gotten to me. Or would want him, the way he looked. Im trying to catch up after being out so long. I had a difficult time healing in the hospital.
You were almost dead when Shay and Kelly found you.
Temper rising, Dale straightened up. Are you lecturing me on how I should have been smarter, knowing the waiting children were a trap? Maybe you should shake the demons hand, pin a medal on his chest for catching me off guard.
Admiral Byrne gave him a long, level look. If I found the son of a bitch who did this to you, Id tear him apart with my bare hands. And then toss him to your team to deal with the remains.
The quietbut strongstatement made Dale sit back.
The boys worship you, Dale. They dont want another commander. They need you, but theyre reluctant to say anything to your face because lately, youve been difficult to talk to. Youre a damn good leader, a smart operator, a fine Mage and a close friend. So Im saying it for them.
Byrne leaned forward, hands on his knees. Get your shit straightened out, Dale. Get help from a private psychiatrist or a navy one. Or Ill assign a mind-melder to you.
Holy hellfire. A mind-melder, diving into his deepest memories, turning him into a whimpering mess when he barely managed to hold it together now? He didnt trust the shrinks, either.
I dont need a witch doctor, he said, taking a long pull of beer, ignoring Byrnes scrutinizing look.
Youre too thin and haggard. Take a vacation, go see some sights...get laid and then come back and get help.
Nearly spitting out his sip of beer, he sputtered. You came all the way from D.C. to tell me to have sex?
A faint memory surfaced. Sitting in Toms bar, a beautiful, mysterious woman staring at him. The memory became fog on glass. Damn it.
Lazily swirling the amber liquid, Byrne snorted. Sure as hell didnt come here for this. Damn, twenty-year-old Scotch doesnt taste the same when youre 1,500 years old.
Then the admiral gave him one of his paternal, but knowing, looks. What happened in the basement, Dale? You never talked about it. Who was that woman found with you, the wolf who vanished?
Emotion squeezed his throat. He sucked in a deep breath. Byrne was right. He had changed, and denied it. His men deserved better. For two months, hed hidden the truth, refusing to talk about what the demons had done to him.
I dont remember. Everythings a blur. All I remember are smells and pain. The smell of a Roman orgy, this delicate, delicious female scent...and waking up to see Shay and Kelly standing over me.
And screams tearing from his throat, until hed fallen unconscious.
The Roman orgy was the Centurion demons who tied you up to torture you. Shay banished them with a spell. But the woman found with you, you dont recall her face? Or a black wolf?
Dale shook his head, the knot in his stomach tightening. She must be the demon wolf that tortured me. When I find her, shell pay. Shell lead me to the others and Ill send them all back to hell.
Remembering would help, but sounds like they infused you with a classic demon memory spell. Clouds the victims brain in case he survives, he cant recall specific details. Byrnes expression sharpened. So the demons can come at you again, and catch you off guard.
Right. Like Id ever let that happen again. I dont need you to watch my six. Im not rushing headfirst into a sitch without knowing all the intel. Got it?
Byrnes look remained steady. Im not watching your six anymore, my friend. But I am serious. Get help this week or Im placing you on mandatory medical leave for another two months and its going in your record that youre mentally unstable. Your team needs you.
The barbed wire knotted tighter in his stomach. Dale squeezed his beer bottle and felt it crack beneath his palm. He set it down, trying to regain his composure. Couldnt let Byrne see how rattled he truly was. He didnt trust him anymore.
Hell, he trusted no one. Not even himself.
The doorbell rang. He glanced at Byrne. What is this? Another well-meaning friend?
Maybe a home invader, the admiral suggested.
Dale headed down the hallway. The double doors were warded with magick, but anything could be lurking outside. A Girl Scout selling cookies or a demon. Or a very human home invader.
After what happened two months ago, he never took chances.
Gathering his powers, he felt the current hum through his body. And pulled open the door
Not a Girl Scout or a demon, but a petite, ebony-haired woman clad entirely in black leather, except for a powder-blue T-shirt with some kind of business logo.
Chaos.
He gave an appreciative visual sweep of his visitor. Very curvy, with long, curly hair spilling down to her waist. She had a delicate, innocent face. Wide, full lips pulled down slightly at the corners, giving her mouth a cute pout. She looked no more than eighteen.
But deep in her green eyes swirled ancient knowledge, and a weariness hed seen in the mirror these past two months.
Parked beneath a streetlamp was a motorcycle with a very flat tire.
The girl pushed back a lock of hair. Im sorry to disturb you, but do you happen to have an air pump? Ive got a flat.
Neither the statement nor the soft, pleading words stopped him. It was the look of faint despair in those lovely, but sorrowful, sea-green eyes.
Dale glanced over his shoulder as the admiral strolled down the hallway. She doesnt look like a home invader.
The girl glanced at the very intrigued and curious Admiral Byrne. Panic flared in her gaze and then her expression smoothed out. She ignored the admiral and stuck out her palm to Dale.
Im not. My names Keira Solomon. I was visiting one of your neighbors two blocks away and my bike went kaput on your street.
He took her hand and shook it. Memories tugged...the fog temporarily lifting. Pain, so much pain, agony in each muscle, pulling off bone, shredded flesh...and a large black wolf panting in the corner, sorrow flaring in her green eyes, a long, low howl echoing his screams...
The memory died, leaving him grappling for it like a sleeper groping for wisps of a dream. Keegan looked at him, laid a hand on his shoulder.
Dale? You okay?
Fine. He shook off his hand.
The admiral gave him a thoughtful look. Have to get home. The wife is expecting me.
The woman politely stepped aside to let him pass. Suddenly he pushed her against the wall, his palm splayed over her forehead. Eyes opened wide, she stared at Byrne.
Dale remained motionless, watching with interest. The old man hadnt done a mind-meld in years.
When he pulled away two minutes later, the admiral didnt look worried or pleased. Just thoughtful. He glanced at Dale.
Shes a paranorm. Trust her. Something very old and sorrowful flickered in the other mans gaze. Shell do you more good than youll ever anticipate. You both need each other.
Keiras wide mouth wobbled precariously. Seeming to gather her composure, she shot the admiral a scathing look as he pushed past her and went down the steps to his car.
Turning to Dale she asked, Do you have an air pump? Because its getting late and I need to hit the road. If you cant help me, Ill knock on someone elses door.
The knight in rusty armor, he thought. Cant help you with anything simpler than an air pump. Come with me.
He walked to the garage, where he opened a cabinet door and retrieved the pump and a can of instant flat-tire repair. Keira studied his garage. Very organized. Everything labeled. Military man. I bet youre the type who irons your underwear and folds it neatly in the drawer.
He shot her a look, but she smiled at him, mischief dancing in her green eyes. That look turned him upside down. No one had dared to tease him in a long time.
As they walked back onto the street to her bike, and he set about fixing her flat, she plopped down on the pavement beside him. I know this is a paranormal neighborhood. Im a Luminaire.
Dale plugged the flat and reached for the air pump. Witch doctor.
Keira laughed. Thats what some call me. Im a psi therapist who helps paranorms restore their energy balance. Perfectly legit. Your neighbor, Mrs. Henderson, asked me to cleanse her home. Had a little issue with dark energy. And you are...?
Although the admiral vetted her, Dale still didnt trust the girl. She looked like a pixie with her wide eyes and petite body, but pixies could be trouble.
Dale Curtis. Dont know what youre talking about. He filled the tire and checked the pressure. Perfect.
She gave him a knowing look. You should. I can feel the power emanating from you. I know youre a Mage, but cant tell what type. I have power, as well. Ill show you mine if you show me yours.
Her teasing, melodious voice almost coaxed a smile from him. Damn, how long had it been since hed flirted with a pretty woman?
You first, he told her.
Uncurling her fist, she displayed a tiny ball of white energy. The ball danced in the air and then slowly drifted upward, exploding into a shower of silver sparks. Dale went still. He hadnt shown his powers to anyone but Keegan in a long time. Truth was, his powers had gone south since the demons kicked his ass. No telekinesis. All he could do was shift into a wolf and toss a current of power strong enough only to light dry kindling.
Not bad.
He focused all his energy and summoned a large ball of energy, which danced in his open palm. Bouncing it like a baseball, he sent it drifting upward, and it exploded in a much larger shower of sparks. Blood drained from her face, but she stood her ground.
Yours is bigger than mine.
Dales mouth quirked at the joke.
Youre a Magewhat kind? she asked.
Primary Elemental.
Very powerful. But your aura is pulsing with dark energy. You need deep cleansing. She studied her hands. Speaking of cleansing, may I wash up? I took a bit of a spill back there.
Mistrust flickered inside him, but he stood and nodded. She was such a tiny sprite, what harm could she do? Still, he took her hand and turned it over, his hand practically swallowing hers. Dale felt no darkness or negativity flaring from her, only a deeper, sexual spark igniting between them. Curious, he circled the scrape on her palm.
You hurt yourself, he murmured. Come inside, and Ill find antiseptic.
He picked up the air pump and can, put them back in the garage and let her into the house through the laundry room. Dale fished out a brown bottle of peroxide and bandages from a white cabinet. Keira winced slightly as he ran warm water over her hand, then treated it with peroxide.
Youre very good with your hands, but wow, the dark energy I feel from you, its not you. Not normally you.
Dale glanced at her as he finished bandaging her hand.
I use psi therapy, light and massage techniques to eradicate negative energy. High-frequency healing energy, using the natural elements. Harmonic meditation to calm the mind and soothe the spirit.
Natural elements?
The power of the sun, wind, earth, even fire.
I dont believe in any of that woo-woo stuff. He replaced the bottle of peroxide.
Of course. Because even though youre a Mage, youre very much a military man who believes in what he can see. Youre a natural leader, a colonel or a captain. No, not army, not with the navy base so close. Keira wiggled her bandaged fingers. Thanks.
His gaze narrowed. Lieutenant commander. How did you know?
Simple deduction. The flag out front, this is a military neighborhood, although a paranormal one, and...
Silently, she pointed to the uniforms hanging on the door, still covered with dry-cleaning plastic. Im really quite psychic. I have ESPN.
As she winked at him, Dale cracked a reluctant smile.
Seriously, I can tell you need cleansing. Youve been in contact with some pretty nasty demons.
His smile dropped. He gestured to the mounds of dirty laundry piled high in the overflowing hamper. Thats the cleansing I need. My housekeeper quit.
Sally had quit with the excuse to move closer to her grandchildren. They both knew the truth. Dales nightly screams had fractured her nerves.
She traced a pattern in the air. Theres thick tendrils of blackness in your aura, blackness pulsing with the other colors.
What other colors? He didnt believe in Luminaires, but he knew about auras.
Deep red, indicating youre a strong-willed and realistic person and a bright, vibrant red that says youre a powerful and extremely competitive individual.