Relic (The Brethren Series) Read online

  “Sikes and Sounds of Sedona, how can I help you?” she heard Callie say cheerily. “Uh huh. Uh huh. Well, sir, let me check, but I think we’re booked for the entire day. If so, we can always arrange a tour for you tomorrow or any other day that suits you. Oh, you’re only here until tomorrow. Well again, let me check for you, sir. Hold on a moment.” Callie pushed the hold button and walked over to Serena, who’d been standing by the back door for some fresh air.

  “Hey, Serena, we’ve got a request for a tour of Cathedral Rock. Your group looks like a no-show. Can you handle it? The guy on the phone said they could be here in five minutes.”

  “Yeah, sure. That’ll fit into my schedule fine. Go ahead and write it in the master.” Serena’s Jeep had already been outfitted with water, snacks, and first aid kit, so she just had to wait. Again.

  ***

  Serena had a group of three rowdy guys to introduce to the idea of spiritual healing and empowerment through visiting Cathedral Rock, known for its up flow vortex, an extremely powerful energy. As the tour progressed, she could tell they didn’t really give a damn about any spiritual healing, figured she’d say her shtick anyway, and see if she couldn’t benefit from being there herself.

  “Hey, Serena, we know we only paid up front for a Jeep tour. But could we kick it up a notch and add a hike while we’re here? We’re good for the money. Just tell us how much and we can add it to the card, you know?”

  She looked at her watch and figured they had time to take a small hike around the base. Supplies weren’t an issue. Always be prepared. “Sure, take a snack and water break while I call the change in. It’s plenty hot out here already, and I don’t want anyone getting dehydrated.” She picked up her phone and left a voicemail when no one answered.

  Of course no one is around. Everyone is busy giving tours. She took a few minutes for her own break, as well as time to admire the scenery that never ceased to leave her breathless. The red rock formations, the foothills and mountains, the energy that hummed all around her served as proof she belonged. She fit here.

  “All right, boys, are you ready? If you would take a moment before we go to breathe in deep and quiet your minds, the land may surprise you.”

  She began walking a path she knew well, with the other three following ably behind. They didn’t seem to give a damn about her stories of people experiencing transcendence. Nor did they bother to take in the breathtaking vistas all about them. In fact, they had gotten rather obnoxious, making her uncomfortable. Add the desert heat, and she was starting to get downright ornery.

  If they’re not interested, why the hell did they take this tour in the first place?

  She had reached as far as the time parameters would allow and started back down the trail. But the men blocked her path.

  “Uh, guys, we need to head back down toward the Jeep if we’re going to make it back to base on time. So, if you’ll walk back towards the left, please….”

  “I don’t think we’re going to make it back in time, Serena,” said the one the others called Steve. “No, I really don’t think so.”

  “I’m not following, Steve. Turn around and walk back down, please.” Annoyance clear in her tone, she tried to move past the three of them, but again they blocked her path. “What’s going on here?”

  She wasn’t so sure she wanted to know at this point. Her heart thrummed in her chest, and it took all of her fortitude to keep her voice steady. She could kick herself for not stopping the tour earlier when their behavior deteriorated. Now she’d put herself in a vulnerable position.

  “It’s called you’re coming with us. Now you can make this real easy or real difficult. Your choice. Personally, I’d choose the easy way,” suggested Steve.

  Like hell I’ll make it easy! Serena dashed up the steep slopes of Cathedral Rock, and even though she knew the terrain, her short legs were no match for the over-six-foot Neanderthals giving chase. They quickly overran her.

  “Help! Someone, help,” she cried out, struggling as one of the men secured her wrists together and the other two, her feet. “Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?”

  One of the men bent over her on the ground and stuck his face up to hers. “It’s not what we want, pretty goddess. It’s what our boss wants. And he wants you. I guess the statue ain’t as good as the real thing.” As he spoke, she felt a familiarity with him. His sour breath, the ragged lips, those insidious words.

  “Oh my God! It’s you!” She shuddered with recognition of her attacker from the night before. Serena attempted to wriggle away but found that she’d moved up against Steve’s legs. “Help! Anyone, help me,” she wailed at the top of her lungs.

  “Oh, there’s no help here, Serena. Maybe Wheezer will help you,” he taunted and kicked her in the ribs, while pointing to the third guy wearing sunglasses. She groaned and sucked in any bit of air she could.

  “Nope, sorry, sugar. Fresh out of help today. Maybe, he’ll help ya,” Wheezer teased and kicked her back over to Steve. Stars. He had kicked her so hard, she had been slightly airborne, and now she saw stars and cried out in agony.

  “Well, okay. Maybe a little help.” His tone guaranteed she wouldn’t like his offer. “I mean, come on, guys. Chappo said we should rough her up a little if she gives us any trouble, but he didn’t want to see any bruising. So keep the fun below her face, okay? Bull, you listening?”

  How practical, Serena thought through a semi-conscious, painful haze.

  “I know something we can do that won’t leave any visible bruising. What do you say we finish what we started last night?” Her attacker, Bull, lay on top of her, making sure she could feel his readiness. He got up in her face again, eyes glazed over with that otherworldly glow. She prepared to fight, bound and all. She head-butted him, causing a nasty gash in his forehead. For an instant, they froze.

  Serena wasn’t a religious person by nature, but spiritual to her bones. As she drifted into a hazy consciousness, ever so briefly, she found a prayer escaping her lips. “Please save me,” she whispered.

  Bull backhanded her the rest of the way into unconsciousness, and continued his assault by pummeling her ribs and kidneys. He stood up and started kicking her viciously in the gut. The other guys at one point leapt on him and pulled him back. He cussed and pulled away from them, his control hanging by a thread.

  “Bull! Bull! Come on, man, what’s the matter with you? Get a grip! Shit, look at her. She’s a fucking mess.” Wheezer paced back and forth in front of her motionless body. “Hey guys, I think she’s dead. Damn it, Bull, Chappo’s gonna have our hides for this unless we can come up with a good story before we get back. He wanted her alive. She’s no good to him dead. Damn it all! Steve, where’d you hide the car?”

  “Just behind those rocks.”

  “All right, go and start it up. I’ll get some shots of her so I can send them to Jared’s cell. That should smoke him out of hiding.” Wheezer took out his phone, took some pictures of Serena’s battered body, and hit the send button.

  “Leave the bitch where she is and let’s go!” If she wasn’t dead by now, Bull thought, she would be soon enough. That would teach her to reject him. He just wished he could have stayed to watch his pretty goddess rot.

  The three of them ran down the trail to the car and left her body for the vultures.

  ***

  Raphael had made this hike to Cathedral Rock dozens of times and each time, he saw and felt something new. He hoped to have a powerful experience here; one that would get his life back on track. Instead, a tingly feeling crept up his spine. The kind of feeling he recognized well and had been fleeing from for a while now. The kind of feeling he got when someone prayed for help. Although he knew he could do nothing, he also understood he couldn’t run from it this time. He could only go toward it.

  As he walked through one of the saddle points of Cathedral Rock, he noticed something peculiar down below. At his vantage point, it looked as if someone had left a sack of clothing. Intrigued, he walk
ed down to get a closer look. As he drew near, he became alarmed at what now looked like a person lying on the ground. He picked up the pace.

  He quickly looked around to see if anyone else was nearby. Not a soul in sight. An empty Jeep sat abandoned at the base of the trail. When he returned his attention to the ground, he saw a woman lying motionless and tied up. He couldn’t see her face for the twisted masses of hair covering it like a cloak.

  What to do? He took off his hat and wiped down his sweaty forehead. Well, save her, of course! Yeah, right. Like I can really do that anymore. Well, you can’t leave her here to die.

  At that thought, he immediately checked to see if she hadn’t already died. He found a pulse, very weak and erratic, but it was there. He had to do something, but what? He had just enough healing energy to stabilize her and get her to the Jeep, but she needed real doctors to treat her properly.

  After untying her hands and feet, he began to work on her. As he waved a hand over her chest, he detected severe cardiac distress. Is she going to make it? Who, other than Satan, would do such a horrible thing to a woman? And by the looks of it, she’s a beauty. She appeared to be just over five feet tall, with an athletic build. And her face, behind the dark bruising on one side, was striking.

  And familiar.

  “What the…holy shit!” Serena Sikes. Of all the people and places, what were the chances he’d come across her here? And why would somebody do this to her?

  He got back to work on her, sending healing pulses over her heart and lungs in an attempt to stabilize her. He gently lifted her in his arms and made his way down the trail to the Jeep. She stirred weakly and her eyes opened ever so slightly. A faint smile appeared on her lips, and she murmured, “Raphael, anam chara, my soul mate. You’ve come back for your Sirona.” Her eyes closed, but the smile remained.

  Raphael stopped dead in his tracks.

  “What the hell?” he asked, wishing she would open her eyes again and explain. It’s these damn rocks. That’s what it is. She couldn’t know me because we’ve never met. And what’s with the ancient Celtic words? She couldn’t even get her name right. She’s really messed up in a big way. That’s all. They’ll fix her up right at the hospital. He was sure of it.

  He placed her gingerly in the Jeep and secured a seatbelt around her. He drove to the nearest hospital, and as he did so, disturbing thoughts swirled through his mind, upsetting his already disquieted heart. Soul mate? Preposterous! He’d never had anything close to what could loosely be interpreted as a relationship with any woman. Ever. He was sure of it.

  He pulled up to the Emergency Room entrance and carried her in, where triage nurses immediately led him to a gurney. When he knew she was in good hands, he walked out, leaving the Jeep in the parking lot, but taking with him instead a load of questions that weighed him down. Her comments had thrown him for a loop, and fluttering butterflies busied themselves in his stomach. He took out the photo and examined her face for the millionth time. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t memorized every detail of it already. But she knew my name. And something tugged at the deep recesses of his mind. She’d mistakenly called herself Sirona instead of Serena; an easy thing to do under the circumstances. I certainly don’t know any Sirona. Something niggled in his heart, just out of reach. And as for the Celtic words, well, maybe she’s a student of ancient languages. One never knew out here where a person’s interests lay. And yet….

  His head hurt. It was only ten in the morning, and he needed a beer.

  Chapter Six

  It’d been a week since Raphael put Serena in the hands of people who could really heal her. Besides having an insatiable curiosity, he also had an onerous task to do. He needed to tell her about her brother and be done with it.

  The hospital staff had been very kind to give him daily updates on her status, something they normally wouldn’t do. But because he used his persuasive Brethren abilities on the staff, they extended the courtesy. After being in critical condition with an assortment of internal injuries, fractured ribs, and a concussion, she was now upgraded to stable. In the beginning, she’d had no shortage of visitors, he’d been told, with friends coming round at all hours, but that had dropped off sharply.

  He decided to drive back to the hospital before visiting hours were over for the day, with all intentions of telling her the news and saying his farewells. When he saw her, his intentions flew right out the window.

  Serena lay asleep in her hospital bed, a small, seemingly fragile wisp of a woman. The way the setting sun cast a glow about her face, she looked enchanting and more like a delicate flower. He could almost smell the sweet scent of a Lily of the Valley in the air. He shook himself free of his musings as he moved into her room and quietly took a seat next to her.

  Glancing around the room, he discovered the sweet-smelling culprit that had captivated him—a small bottle of perfume. Returning to gaze upon his enchantress, he found the bruising along her jaw line much more pronounced since he’d first come upon her. Raphael felt a cold, steel anger well within. His eyes trailed down to her slender arm outfitted with an IV, and to all the machines with their bells and beeps.

  “I’m sorry, Serena,” he whispered. “You wouldn’t have needed all of this if I could’ve done my job properly.” He bristled in frustration and leaned his head against his arms resting on the bedrail. He noticed her stirring in her sleep. She seemed agitated, and surprised him by blindly reaching out to grab hold of his hand.

  “Mmm…I cannot die. I am immortal. An feidir le heinne cuidiu liom? Can anyone help me? Graim thu, Raphael, anam chara. I love you, my soul mate.” Serena whimpered and fell silent once again.

  The chair screeched across the floor as Raphael sprung out of it like a Jack-in-the-box. Her hand stayed firmly gripped around his, and a flood of memories, well-hidden for centuries, came crashing through unbidden. Sirona, Goddess of Healing, the love of his immortal life, his wife, smiled at him as they walked in the mountains. She bathed him in the hot roman baths. She made love with him under the stars. She was lifeless in his arms as he carried her to her temple. He was asking E.L. to wipe his memory clean of all remembrances of her and to harden his heart. Raphael wrenched his hand away from Serena’s tight grasp, involuntarily backing up to the door. He clutched his chest over his racing heart, now filled with centuries of unresolved anguish, his mind filled with too many questions.

  Serena’s eyes fluttered open. Raphael’s face must have had a look of utter horror on it, because she raised her hand to her face shielding the bruise. “It looks worse than it feels,” she stated quietly. “Really. Have you come to fix the TV? They told me someone would be coming by this afternoon to fix it.”

  “Uh…no,” Raphael croaked. “I, uh…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ll be on my way.” I have to get out of here. Who the hell is she, some kind of witch? Why is this happening now? And where do I begin to process what I just experienced?

  “But wait. Who are you? Why did you come to my room?”

  Now she doesn’t know who I am? What gives? “I’m the one who found you and brought you here to the hospital, actually. I was checking to see how you were doing. Now I see you’re doing much better, so I’m going to leave you to your rest.” Raphael turned away and began walking out the door.

  “Wait! Please, before you go I’d like to say something.” He cursed under his breath, crossing back over the room’s threshold, and stood transfixed by her glittering emerald eyes. “Thank you. You saved my life, and I’m forever grateful.” She smiled, with tears threatening to escape.

  “Make no mistake,” he grumbled. “I didn’t save you. The doctors did. But you’re welcome for bringing you here. Now, I really must go.”

  “Hey,” Serena shouted as he walked out the door, “what did you say your name was?”

  He stopped in his tracks. “I didn’t.”

  Should I tell her? Maybe it would prove to be a good test of what she knows. He hesitated, and then faced her.
/>   “It’s Raphael. My name is Raphael.” But there was no hint of recognition, just misplaced gratitude, in his opinion.

  “Well, thank you again, Raphael.” A couple of bats of her eyelashes and they closed. She had fallen asleep.

  Lost in thought and reeling from the explosive experience, he completely forgot why he’d come to see her in the first place. Mission not accomplished. Damn it. He’d walked as far as the elevator down the hall before he sensed trouble nearby. Moments later, he heard it.

  “Oh my God! What do you think you’re doing? Get away from her! Charlotte, call security! Oh, help! Anyone, everyone, help…. Grab him…. He’s trying to kill her!” Feet scrabbled across the floor while people shrieked and grunted their efforts to help. Instinct gripped Raphael as he ran back down the corridor to Serena’s corner room. In the distance he heard, with his superior pinpoint abilities, the faint taunting of the assailant, “Pretty goddess ain’t no more, doo-dah, doo-dah!”

  Reentering her room, all he saw was her bed surrounded by people, each shouting orders.

  He shoved his way through only to find they were trying to get a tightened noose free from around her neck, but it wouldn’t budge. Choking and thrashing about, it looked to him as if she only had mere moments to live. Raphael’s training kicked into high gear.

  “Move out of the way, now! I can save her.” He shoved his way through, whipped out his hunting knife, to the amazement of the nurses and doctors around her, and made quick work of cutting her free. Before anyone could utter an objection or try to remove the knife from him, he sheathed and concealed it. She coughed, sputtered, and gagged, but she was alive.

  A flurry of activity had doctors pushing him aside to check over Serena’s latest injuries. Rage built within him, threatening to explode. Where is security to make sure this kind of thing can’t happen? It’s obvious someone wants her good and dead. And obvious that she won’t be well-protected in her hospital room. Clearly, this woman had a connection to him in the most bizarre way, and he felt compelled to watch over her until he knew what the hell was going on. But what should I do?