Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance (23 page)

Before they could continue walking, the lights in the parking garage went out except for a few long fluorescent ones directly above their heads. It made the garage extremely dark, and she could only make out the silhouettes of the cars. It felt eerie, as though she and Alexander were being set up for something.

“Get behind me,” Alexander said. Before Emily could respond he had her pulled in close behind his back.

She peeked over his broad shoulder to see what had him so alarmed.

A tall dark figure was walking toward them, joined by four other figures that seemed to pop up from behind various cars. When they reached the area that was better lit, Emily could see the very unfriendly faces.

She felt every muscle in Alexander’s body flex simultaneously and turn rock hard.

“This cannot be happening.
”

Emily recalled the conversation they had just had and wondered if these men were ones that qualified as being under the Oppositions influence, they certainly looked like the type—menacing and sallow, barely human.

Two of the men in the group had on leather jackets that were worn and dingy while the others only wore long stained thermal shirts and sweaters. The man in front looked especially intimidating with an unusual beard that ran the length of his jaw line. He was the one that spoke up.

“Ah, look fellas, the cute little rich girl came down here to grace us with her presence. What’s wrong princess? Was the caviar not to your liking?” He said in a deep raspy voice. “Or maybe you just wanted to come down here and play with us,” he continued as the four other men fanned out beside him as if on cue. “You’ll get your chance to party, sweetie, right after we take care of your boy here.” The man tossed his head in Alexander’s direction.

“You won’t touch her!” Alexander’s voice blasted through the darkness. It had the same force Emily remembered hearing that day in the alley.

Alexander gently pushed Emily an arm’s distance back from him and then briskly pulled off his suit coat, showcasing his large muscles and massive arm span. Emily could see him review each man’s position, calculating his distance. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there. It seemed like forever. She felt herself shrinking into the darkness just waiting for them to attack. But just as she thought they would make their move, Alexander lunged at the closest man who stood on his left.

His movements were speedy, yet precise, and she knew he hit his target with his first measured blow. The man let out a sickening grunt as Alexander’s fist landed in his gut. The force of the punch brought the man’s head down which was met with Alexander’s elbow as he spun to meet the next attacker. The first man flew to his back as soon as his nose made contact with Alexander’s arm and Emily knew he was taken out.

The second man, much like the first, was not quick enough to outmaneuver his opponent. As soon as Alexander made contact with the first man’s face he reached both arms back to grab the second man that was coming at his back. With a force that seemed humanly impossible, Alexander grabbed the man by his head, and, swiftly bending at the waist, threw him over his shoulder and onto the ground. He slammed down on the man’s chest with the flat of his foot.

At that point, the other three men realized that they had to work together and came at Alexander in one coordinated motion. At first, it seemed to Emily like she was watching a lion shake off a bunch of flies. But, she then noticed something shiny glisten in the faint light and her heart dropped.

Once she saw the metal blade it disappeared. One of the men had plunged it into Alexander’s side. She heard him give a slight grunt, a mild reaction compared to what she expected to hear. She watched as Alexander used his forearm to break the man’s hold on the weapon. With swift precision he pulled the blade out and threw it into the darkness.

Her mind was racing.

“I thought Alexander’s body was perfect. How could a knife penetrate, he’s supposed to be immortal?”

Emily now felt her panic reach a new level; she could see the dark wet splotch forming on Alexander’s shirt. She reached down to take off her shoes. She had to do something. She couldn’t stand back and watch Alexander get stabbed again.

With shaking fingers, Emily fiddled with the straps to her high heels. Her concentration was failing her. She was continually distracted by the grunts and groans she was hearing, each time feeling the need to look up from what she was doing to make sure Alexander was okay. Every peek revealed Alexander fighting off the reoccurring attacks.

She looked down, a bit more confident that he would last long enough for her to remove her shoes. She needed some sort of weapon if she were to join the fight. Just as her feet were freed, Emily heard a click. Dread washed over her as she recognized the sound of a gun being cocked.

She glanced up just in time to see a man pointing the barrel directly at Alexander’s chest.

Emily heard someone scream but realized that the voice was hers. Before the man had a chance to pull the trigger Alexander had him disarmed and lying on his back. The gun dropped to the cement as another man jumped on Alexander’s back. Emily was nervous about the continual appearance of weapons but decided this was the time to intervene. She cocked back her arm, taking her aim at a man that was circling Alexander like a coyote, determining the best place to pounce.

Just as she felt she had her target she lost sight of the man. A figure appeared directly in her path just fifteen yards away where the fight was taking place. His back was turned to her but she could instantly tell it was Xavier.

Her new friend wasted no time and intercepted the man who now lunged at Alexander. Emily watched with a renewed sense of hope, as Xavier was able to balance the fight. The sense of triumph was diminished when Emily noticed that the very first man Alexander had taken down had now regained his footing and was making his way toward her with angry, hungry eyes.

She adjusted the grip on her shoe, from the throwing position to a jabbing position. Emily was confident that if needed, she could stab the man with the sharp heel and it would inflict enough pain to hopefully give her an advantage. She was surprised at how calm she suddenly seemed; how comfortable she was with the thought of wounding this man. Actually she knew she was capable of doing more if it meant ensuring Alexander’s safety.

The man picked up his pace and Emily braced herself for the impact she was bound to feel. His forward motion was suddenly stopped as he was flung backward. Alexander grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket and tossed him like a rag doll.

Emily met Alexander’s eyes for only a second. She had expected to see utter rage in his expression but was surprised to only see complete confidence. He was in command of his emotions, in charge of his physical power. This reassured Emily. It was nice to know that he was not panicking as she was.

“Xavier!” Alexander shouted as he grabbed another opponent’s arm, twisting it until a loud pop resounded. “Get Emily out of here.”

As if he wasn’t in the middle of a fight, Alexander tossed the car keys to his friend. Xavier easily caught them and quickly finished the guy he was working on, rendering the man unconscious with his final blow. Xavier ran over to Emily and grabbed her by the hand.

She was glad she had taken off her shoes. They were about to run right past the fight and they would have to be as fast as possible.

Xavier wasted no time. They began a full out sprint to the car, and although Emily knew he could go faster, he kept to her pace, never letting go of her hand. When one guy tried to get in their way, Xavier gave a hard backhand, his forearm slamming into the man’s head.

They were clear of the fight zone. Emily knew her car was just a few yards away but she kept trying to look back hoping Alexander was right behind them. She didn’t want to leave him, she couldn’t.

When they got to the car Xavier went to the driver side and slid in. “Get in Emily!” Xavier shouted impatiently.

“We can’t just leave him,” Emily said with desperation as she looked at Xavier through the open door.

“I’m just following his orders. I assure you, he’ll be fine. Two of those guys aren’t getting up for a long time. He can handle the other three, now get in!” he said hastily and started the car.

As the BMW roared to life there was another sound, a terrifying sound. It was a gunshot. Emily looked up just in time to see Alexander stagger backward.

“Alexander!” She screamed in complete horror. She paused only a moment and then darted around the car, only to run directly into Xavier’s hard chest.

“Get in the car!” Xavier barked.

Emily fought against him trying to peek over his shoulder to see if Alexander had fallen but Xavier blocked her view while effortlessly pushing her backward and down and into the car. Emily tried to escape but it was no use; Xavier was too strong.

He kept her pinned to the seat with one hand and in a split second went from her side to the driver side. The change was too quick for her to react. By the time she felt the pressure of his hand vanish it was back again, holding her to the seat.

Xavier flipped the car into reverse and speedily backed out. As soon as he had the car in a forward motion he released his hold. Emily frantically turned around to look out the rear window. The figures behind her grew smaller by the second and soon she could not make out who was who. It was just a large mess of shadows.

As the BMW squealed around a corner, she lost sight completely. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. Another hole was slowly forming in her heart; she could quite literally feel it. The sensation was familiar because it was what she had felt when her mother had died.

This new hole was for Alexander.

Visions

As soon as the BMW slid out and onto the street, Xavier eased off the accelerator and brought the speed down to the legal limit.

Emily was hysterical. “We can’t just leave him! He’s been stabbed and shot! We can’t leave him, we have to go back!”

“Calm down, he’s going to be fine. You should have seen him in World War Two. That guy took five bullets and still he fought off the bad guys. He’s an absolute machine. Remember —this is what we do,” Xavier said without concern.

“I saw him bleeding. I thought you had perfect bodies. You’ve lived for centuries, right? I don’t understand why he was bleeding,” Emily questioned with tears still rolling down her face.

“Yeah our bodies are perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be injured. We’ve made it through all these years because we’re trained for this stuff. We spend decades learning how to handle ourselves before we are permitted to engage in the human world.” Xavier paused to emphasize his next sentence. “We’ve got skills.”

Emily was becoming increasingly annoyed with how lighthearted Xavier was being about all this.

“For all we know Alexander could be bleeding to death, if that is possible.”

“Can Guardians die?” Emily stammered as she tried to gain some sense of control.

“Yeah, we can, but only when we’re in human form. We’re not vulnerable in our other form. But don’t worry; it takes a lot more than a few bullets or knives to get rid of us. Besides, our bodies heal extremely fast,” Xavier reassured.

“This is insane! We have to go back.” Emily made a swipe at the wheel but Xavier was faster and caught her arm in mid stroke.

“I told you I’m following orders. If this is what Alexander wants, then so be it. I have never gone against his command and I’m not about to start now.”

“We’ve gotten far enough away, pull over here, let me out and you go back. You’ve got to help him!” Emily was becoming desperate.

“I don’t think so.” Xavier shook his head. “I need to stay with you. Alexander would shoot
me
if I showed up there and told him I left you by yourself. Quit worrying so much. What do I have to say to convince you that he can handle himself?” Xavier was beginning to show signs of frustration.

“You’re supposed to be his friend. Don’t you care about what happens to him?” Emily accused.

“Exactly!” he retorted. “I’m his friend and I’ve known him longer than you have. So I can tell you from my own personal experience that he’s been through way worse.”

Just then Emily felt a slight prickle run down her spine. The one she always got when she sensed someone behind her. Instinctively she looked over her shoulder. “Alexander!” Emily shouted, as she clumsily climbed to the back of the car.

“Told you so,” came Xavier’s cocky reply.

“You’re hurt. You’re bleeding,” Emily commented aloud as she sized up his wounds.

Two spots on Alexander’s shirt were covered in blood. The fabric was slit on his side where Emily had seen the knife go in. His shoulder was where the bullet must have hit because she could see the small circular tear and the dark stain that flowed from it. There was also a small cut on his forehead. Other than that, he looked untouched. No bruising or red marks on any part of him, like he had never allowed a blow to successfully hit him.

“Emily, calm down,” Alexander said in his soft baritone voice. “I am fine.”

“I’ve been trying to tell her, friend, but it’s like trying to control a sail boat in gale force winds.” Xavier laughed.

“How can you be fine? You’ve been stabbed and shot!” Emily exclaimed, ignoring Xavier completely.

“It looks worse than it really is. Believe me, I’ve had worse.” Alexander didn’t even grimace or wince as he shifted his weight forward to talk to Xavier.

“Told her that too, Brother,” Xavier said as he effortlessly maneuvered the car through traffic.

“We need to get her back to her apartment so her dad doesn’t worry. Then I have to go back to the Guardian Realm and figure out what just happened.”

“You can’t leave; you’re hurt. You need a hospital,” Emily demanded.

Alexander gave a slight chuckle. “Seriously, I’m fine. I’ll heal up quickly. And I’ll heal even faster in the Guardian Realm.”

“Don’t leave, please don’t leave me. I’m so scared,” Emily rambled as she began to cry again.