Sentinel Lost (Mind Sweeper Series Book 5) (35 page)

“How long has it been?” Doc yelled.

“Twenty minutes,” Jean Luc replied.

“Let me try shocking her again.”

My vision blinked out. When it came on again, no one moved. As if the frame was paused.

Finally, Doc looked down at my body. “Time of—”

“No!” Dalton yelled. “She’s not gone.”

Misha reached for him. “Joe.”

“She’s not gone!” He shoved past Doc and grabbed my face. “Don’t you leave me now, McKinley. I’m pissed at you, and I haven’t had my say yet.”

The scene flicked to black again.

Warmth ran over my face, and I felt safe for just a moment, even as the panic in Dalton’s voice increased while he yelled for me to come back. For some reason I wasn’t scared anymore.

Until the silence descended.

Chapter 43

A buzzing surrounded me, circling my head until it entered my brain, the vibrations finally bringing me out of my stupor. Light seeped through my eyelids, and I was forced to open them slowly.

I saw my hands first, resting palms down on an old-fashioned table. The metal cooled my hands and sent a chill along my spine. I blinked at my surroundings. I was sitting in the middle of an empty ice cream parlor.

How had I ended up here? I wandered over to the long glass counter, peering at the tubs of ice cream. Mocha fudge swirl, chocolate almond, toasted coconut, all my favorites. Behind the counter, a metal container of fudge sauce bubbled, permeating the air with its rich sweetness.

On the wall behind the counter was a large sign with the words “Now Serving,” and an arrow pointing down to a blinking red number 00. Sitting at the end of the counter was a small ticket dispenser. Maybe if I pulled a number, someone would come out from the back of the store and help me. I reached for the ticket.

“Don’t, Kyle.”

I jerked at the voice. There was Marie, standing behind the cash register wearing a pink waitress dress with a white apron. I was hallucinating. Had to be. Maybe it was bad sushi. I’d had bad sushi before, and I’d definitely gone to another plane of existence when I did.

“Marie, what’s going on?”

“Don’t pull the number, Kyle.”

“Why are you here? Where is here?”

A bell rang behind me, and Marie disappeared. I turned as the door swung open and Nicholas entered. His eyebrows rose slightly while he glanced around the shop. “This is an interesting interpretation.”

“What the hell is going on?” I demanded.

He smirked. “Followed up by even more interesting word choice.”

“Nicholas!”

He gestured to a table and sat down. “Please sit and let me explain. We don’t have much time.”

I sat across from him. “Why am I here?” I threw up my arms. “Where is here?”

He stared at me for a moment. “Do you remember anything?”

“No.”

“Think, Kyle.”

I closed my eyes and scenes flashed in my head. “We were fighting the demons, and I was hurt.”

“Yes.”

“Doc and Jean Luc were working on me and Misha was crying and I…oh crap, I’m dead.”

He shook his head. “Not yet. But you’re on the cusp.” He gestured around the room. “This is your holding space until a decision is made regarding your fate. Where you will go next.”

I took a steadying breath. “And who’s making the decision?”

“I would say, with your background, a number of the bigwigs up here will be brought in to confer.”

“Well, that sucks. Don’t I have a say in this?”

“Absolutely.”

I stared at him in shock. “Are you serious?”

He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Normally, at this point, it’s too late to turn back. But you still have it in you to return. You never had a problem with bucking authority in the past. Don’t go soft on me now.”

“Funny.”

He squeezed my hand. “I’ve got to go. Decide what you want to do, Kyle, and then hold on to that choice, here.” He tapped his heart. “Not here.” He tapped his head. “Think you can do that?”

“Hell to the yeah.”

“They have no idea who they’re up against.” Nicholas chuckled as he faded away.

Chapter 44

My head hurt. Why did my head hurt so much? Had someone smashed it with a baseball bat? After I took a couple of deep breaths so I wouldn’t throw up, I opened my eyes slightly. The room was dark with the exception of a lamp in the corner, but even that low light was like a lance in my skull.

Then I remembered. I was dead. Wait, if my head was imploding, then I couldn’t be dead, right? The pain would be gone.

Unless I was in hell. Oh, crap, was I in hell? I mean, I didn’t think so. Could sarcasm and a disdain for authority land you in hell? I moaned.

Movement came from the dark corner of the room.

“Kyle? Are you back with us?”

The disjointed voice made me happy, because I somehow knew it. I tried to say so, but nothing came out.

Light pressure landed on my shoulder. “Don’t try to talk. You’re okay.”

For once, I didn’t argue. I closed my eyes and slept. For a long time.

But I wasn’t alone.

Voices kept me company while I dozed. So many voices that changed over the seemingly endless time I slept. At first I couldn’t put names to them. But I knew they were protecting me.

The first one I recognized was Jean Luc. Lilting tones interlaced with French terms of endearment, followed by Misha’s deep bass. Another time Talia talked to me, and Doc’s no-nonsense voice spoke to me as well.

Jason, Matthew, and Griffin followed. Trina’s young voice also filled my head with stories from school. Sylvia, Irina, and Boris. Even Kevin Doyle teased me about finally being able to get a word in edgewise.

But one voice was missing from my memories. One voice I wanted to hear more than the others. To know he was okay.

I finally opened my eyes and was able to keep them open without feeling like sharp sticks were invading my skull. I blinked and turned my head to the side.

Misha sat in the chair next to the bed. He was leaning with his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands.

“Mish?” I croaked.

He jerked at my voice and leapt to his feet. “Kyle?”

I nodded, and the tension in his face simply disappeared. I opened my mouth and tried to speak again, but it felt like sand and cotton were waging a war in my mouth.

“Don’t try to talk.” He reached for a button on the wall and pushed it. Seconds later, Doc bustled into the room, followed by Jean Luc.

“There’s my girl!” Doc said as she stepped up to the bed. “All right. Everyone out while I take a look at her. Go on, now. No arguments.”

Doc spent a few minutes looking me over, listening to my heart and lungs. She reviewed the monitors. Then she checked my pupils with a small flashlight and frowned slightly.

“What?” I choked out.

“Nothing. You’re fine.” She picked up a pink plastic pitcher and poured a small amount of water into a matching cup and placed a straw into it. “Take just a small sip, Kyle. It should help.”

I swallowed, and the glorious cool liquid ran down my throat. How could water taste so good? I took another pull on the straw, and then Doc took it away from me. “Enough for now. I don’t want you to get sick.” She laid her hand on my arm. “How do you feel?”

“Okay…tired.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

“Yes.” I whispered. “How long?”

“You were in a coma for twenty-four hours, and then you woke up for a few seconds, and then slipped back under for three days.”

“Voices?”

Doc smiled. “Yeah, I can imagine you heard voices. We haven’t left you alone. We’ve been taking shifts with you. Talking to you to try and coax you out of your coma.”

“Dalton?”

“He’s okay, Kyle. He burned his arm getting you out of the fire, but he’s fine. He was summoned back to Chicago to report. We had to make up some interesting case notes for him. He stopped the killer. Unfortunately for the Feds, but fortunately for us, Saul’s body was burned beyond recognition, so they couldn’t perform a full autopsy. We’ve sent the twins back to the realm.”

“The Key.”

“What about it?”

“It’s gone.”

“You’re sure?”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but it wasn’t in me anymore. “In Dalton?”

Doc shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s been calling in to see how you’re doing, and says he feels normal.” She patted my arm. “I’m going to let Jean Luc and Misha back in before they trigger a riot in the hall. Don’t tax your throat. I’m going to give them five minutes to gush, and then out they go.”

Sabrina opened the door, and the two of them practically fell through the doorway. They crowded around the bed, each taking one of my hands.

“Little one.”

“
Ma petite.
”

They both spoke at the same time, which made me smile.

“We’re so happy to see you awake.” Misha spoke, his voice rough.

“
Oui.
It is about time you woke up, Kyle. It has been very quiet without you.”

“I love you guys,” I whispered.

Jean Luc squeezed my hand and smiled at me.

Misha cleared his throat and blinked a couple of times, but he couldn’t stop a tear from escaping. “We love you, too.”

Chapter 45

“What aren’t you telling me, Sabrina?”

“What do you mean?”

I glared at her across the hospital room. “Everyone is walking on eggshells around me.”

“You were in a coma, Kyle.”

“It’s more than that.”

“Can’t we table this discussion until you’re stronger?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. The gesture was probably not very intimidating since I was propped up in a hospital bed, but you have to work with what you’ve got.

Doc sighed. “When the demon struck you with the energy blast, it hit your head. You have a scar now.”

“Is it big?”

“No.”

“Please tell me it’s not in the shape of a lightning bolt. I won’t be able to handle listening to Harry Potter jokes for the rest of my life.”

Doc chuckled. “No. You’re safe.”

“Then why has everyone looked a little freaked out when they see me for the first time?”

Doc bit her lip before responding. “It’s your eyes. They’ve changed color.”

I gulped. “What? Let me see.”

Doc pulled a small mirror out of a drawer in the bureau and gave it to me.

The eyes that widened as I stared at myself were blue. They still had hints of my original gray, but they were predominantly blue. On my right temple was a small scar running back into my hairline.

“Do you think the blue is from the demon blast?”

Doc shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“
Sabrina
.”

“You almost died, Kyle. I tried everything. I shocked you and pumped you full of adrenaline.”

“Like John Travolta did to Uma Thurman in
Pulp Fiction
?”

Doc huffed. “Misha has not been a good influence on you. Yes, like
Pulp Fiction
, except you didn’t wake up like Uma did.” She looked away from me. “I was about to call time of death, but Dalton argued with me. He told me you weren’t dead yet, and he laid his hands on either side of your face. I was reaching to pull him away when he started to glow. Then you started to glow.”

Goosebumps shot down my arms. “He still had the power from the Key.”

“Or maybe you absorbed some of his angel essence. I wouldn’t swear to it, but his eyes don’t seem as vibrant anymore.”

I sat up straight. “But he’s all right now? You told me he’s okay.”

Doc waved at me with a settle-down gesture. “He’s fine. He was very weak afterward, and I put him on bed rest for a day, but then he got a summons from Chicago. We’ve had a lot to cover up.”

“I bet. How did he know what to do?”

Sabrina shrugged. “He said afterward that he heard a voice in his head telling him to touch you. Since he’d helped you before when you seized, he didn’t think he had anything to lose by trying it.”

I dropped my head back on the pillow. “Wow.”

Doc frowned. “I knew it was too early to have this discussion.”

“I’m fine, Sabrina. Just trying to take it all in.”

“Well, take your time. It happened days ago, and I still haven’t taken it all in yet.”

* * *

“I want to take her outside!” Misha said.

“It would be better for me to do this, Misha,” Jean Luc argued. “I have a medical background.”

“I think I know what Kyle needs. She is named after me.”

I clapped my hands like a kindergarten teacher calling the class to order. “Guys, enough! I’m fine. I’m not going to relapse. Would someone please take me outside so I can breathe fresh air and see the sun?”