Sebastian (Bowen Boys, #5)(15)
She didn’t answer but moved to the door after motioning for Khan to step back. She didn’t touch the door but opened it, staying back about a foot. She looked at the creature there, knowing that she was seeing him for what he was and not what he was trying to project.
“You’re to come with me, mistress. I have been sent by one stronger than you to bring you to him.” He bowed before her. “I am but a servant to him, so would ask that you not kill me.”
“A messenger, not a servant, and one that is too weak for me to bother with. You do not serve him in any way other than as a profit to yourself. Don’t lie to me again.” He looked at her, then dropped his head again. “Who sent you and for what purpose?”
“As I have said, simply to bring you to him. And I cannot say his name without permission.” She nodded. “Will you come with me and bring your mate?”
“I will not.” She reached out into his mind and found nothing but an order to bring her to him, and the mate she had recently taken. “And you’re mistaken in thinking I have a mate. I have no one that I’ve bonded with.”
She felt Sebastian move up behind her, but he didn’t touch her. Khan was close as well, and the others were coming, too. She had no idea what they would feel about her, but she had to send a message back to the one who’d sent this being.
“You know what I am?” He nodded and smiled. Evil poured from his lips in the form of a mist, and she raised her hand to stop it. “You’ve pissed me off. Do you know what happens now?”
He took a step back, and then another as her power stretched out to grab him. He was struggling to get away as she wrapped strong bands around his throat. She heard the men behind her and tried to ignore them. The being in front of her had her full attention.
“You’ve lied again. You’ve no idea what I am. But I know what you are.” She tightened the bands more and watched him shift and twist. As soon as she was sure he was going to become real to the men behind her, she raised her other hand to protect them.
His body shifted again, and he became real. “You’ve made a mistake, mistress. He’ll know what you are as soon as I go back to him. Then we shall see what happens to your precious mate.”
“Kill him.” The words whispered through her mind. “Kill him now before he gives the other the information.”
She pushed power into him, and he screamed out in pain. As soon as he began to tremble in her grip, she pushed harder and he exploded. Mist, black as his evil, rained onto the porch. With a wave of her hand, the fragments of his body blew away.
Ama turned back to the men and saw that the women, Monica and Corrine, had joined them. They were all looking at her with the most shocked faces she’d ever seen. There was no way she could explain what had just happened, wasn’t sure she wanted to. She walked to the kitchen, picked up her purse, and moved out of the house before anyone could tell her to leave. She was nearly to the turn-out driveway when someone stepped up beside her.
“May I ask where you’re going?” She glanced at Sebastian and told him she was going to work. “If you’ll give me a minute to get my keys, I’ll take you.”
“No thanks. I need to walk.” He handed her the glass of tea he’d made for her earlier, and she took it. “Thank you. I’ll make sure you get it back.”
“This isn’t over, Ama. I don’t know what you did back there, but I have a feeling that you just saved my family. I’d like to take you to work, then pick you up afterwards so we can have a talk.”
“I told you before that there can’t be anything between us. And as far as that demon went, he won’t bother you again. I promise.” He nodded. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“I’m not.” He pulled her to him and held her. “I’m just sorry you had to deal with him…or whatever it was.”
As much as she wanted to be held by him, she knew that she didn’t want this any more than he did. Pulling away, she moved toward the end of their drive and was walking along the sidewalk when he pulled up beside her in his car. When she kept moving, he got out of the driver’s side, leaving his car running in the street, and came up on the sidewalk beside her. Car horns started beeping right away.
“You’re going to get arrested.” He shrugged and continued walking with her. “What are you doing? Are you trying to piss me off?”
“Will you do to me what you did to that being?” He grinned at her. “If so, then no, I’m not. I’m just trying to take you to work.”
Horns continued beeping, and she was so embarrassed that she went to his car to get in. He beat her and opened the door for her. As soon as he was in his side, they started moving.
“This doesn’t change anything. I’m still not going to see you after this. You can find some other panther, a nice one that will take you on. I don’t have the time.”
He nodded, and when they pulled up in front of Gunn’s Pizza, she got out without another word. Before she was inside, he yelled her name.
“I’ll be right here when you get off. And if you think to avoid me, I’ll hunt you down. You owe me at least an explanation of what that was.” She nodded and went inside, knowing that there was no hope for it. He’d keep at her until she told him everything.