TheHealers (30 page)

Marissa told me I would have to make a big choice. This decision bordered on insanity, but I could see the good things that would come from it. Leo’s words rang true. I could save lives and have a partner. Maybe I would never be entangled in the way Alexander and I had joined, but that probably was for the best. This obsession I had for him weakened me and broke me all over again. I could have a good life.

Tears of sadness spilled over my lashes onto my cheeks.

“What do you want me to do?” Slammed up against a wall with no choices, I heard my defeated voice fill the cool air. A couple of months ago a life with Leo would have been exciting, scary still, but definitely a possibility. Everything had changed now. We weren’t the same people. I didn’t know how I felt about that yet, but I did know I had already put all my hope of happily ever after on Alexander. He had traded it for some stupid stick, so yeah, apprehensive feelings leaked out of my pores. Trust had never settled over my skin comfortably and it sure as hell didn’t now. Especially after everything I had known in my life flipped upside down. Leo stood here and offered me what he thought to be a good thing and in my mind I simply felt betrayed. Nothing felt right, but this option seemed the best choice for now. I would not get hurt again because I went into it with my eyes wide open. He just wanted my magic. They all did.

Leo’s face lit up like he had just won big on a slot machine. Not really the way I wanted to be admired, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and these were the options. One hand tangled in my hair and the other gripped my hip. Could you even trust a person that had a slot machine smile?

“I want to show you how special you are. Would you like to do something good?” I could hear the catch in his voice. Leo was trying to smooth talk me into something he would benefit from. I heard it in the tone of his words, but right then I just didn’t care.

I looked into that dangerous face and made a decision. “Yes.”

We walked together through the gardens, but not in the way we came. I thought about my lilies. The snow colored petals all around protected a tough pistil in the center. That aptly fit my character. Somehow the smell lingered with strong and soft notes, not quite equal, but I was never sure which one threw the balance over.

After passing through the gardens we ascended onto a small hill. At the top a door hid itself by small bushes and Leo opened it with a gesture for me to go down.

I stood there puzzled, wondering if the bushes were artificial. How else would they grow without roots in the ground? I also did not feel enough trust towards Leo to walk down into a black hole in front of him.

“Are you sure this is safe?” I playfully looked up and laughed nervously. I didn’t want to portray that I was afraid of him, simply that I feared enclosed spaces.

“I would never want to hurt you. If there was any way of you being hurt, I would not allow you in.” Strong words that meant to sway me in his direction. No, I didn’t trust him, but my self preservation dwindled now and I thought death might be good. Or whatever existence he had brought me to. I would be their Healer and spend my life healing those that would kill others. It alarmed me that it still hurt when I thought my emotions had gone numb.

I stepped in and walked down the stairs.

Soon after I heard his footsteps follow.

The steps ended and suddenly light shocked my eyes. I paused and looked back until Leo stepped down with me. He grabbed onto my hand and we walked together down the long hallway. I searched for anything to distract my attention but we were surrounded by cold white walls everywhere and closed doors. I could feel the Hunters behind the doors and my natural instinct urged me to send out painful magic that would destroy. It took strong mental power to fight the urges and not eviscerate everyone in the building. I wondered if Leo even knew I could do that. He didn’t seem worried at all, so my gut told me no. Although, he had known more about me than I had even known, so I wouldn’t put it past him.

We stopped at a door and he let go of my hand. His hands rubbed up and down my arms softly.

“Are you ready to go in there, Layna? This room is filled with Hunters, and I know your instinct is to harm them. Can you fight it? I don’t want to have to drug you again.” Bastard. Vengeance rolled through my veins. How could I have thought for one second that being with this man would be in any way okay? Leo would hurt me in a moment if it would help his cause. Just like Alexander
—
they dropped you when it benefited them.

“Everything’s fine. I’ve got it under control.” Yeah, fine
—
fucked up, insecure, neurotic and emotional. I had been honest, too bad if he didn’t know what fine meant.

Leo twisted the door open and I felt the impact of all their pain. It shocked me at first because I had been sure that my senses would have been overthrown with evil and I would have killed them all, no matter what I had said to him before we came in the room.

“They hurt. I can feel it.” The words escaped my lips even as I clasped my hand over my mouth to stop them from coming. It was too late and he saw my weakness. I felt their pain. I knew they inflicted pain, but yet feeling their hurt bothered me. They had feelings.

“You can help them, Layna. It’s a gift. To be able to take pain away from others.” His words caressed over my senses and guided me to the ones in pain. I could help them. That had to be good, right? The snakes still crept into my mind but I found myself kicking them out and then I was shocked by the power that I held. I knew they were bad, but they hurt and it made me ache. I just wanted it to go away.

He brought me to a bed with a man, eyes closed. My hands reached out to hold him and before I knew what happened the healing magic took hold of me. I didn’t even know what ailed him, but my soul felt it and wanted to heal it. Peacefulness erupted over everything in my vision. Anything that felt this good had to be right. Or so I convinced myself in that moment.

Leo continued to guide me around the room to others that lay in similar beds and I continued my healings. I healed until I couldn’t see anything anymore. My body started to protest from the energy that had been depleted. Not being able to see hindered me and it became apparent to him when I stumbled over anything in my way.

“What’s wrong?” His concern stemmed from my inability to continue his little project.

“I can’t see. The amount of power I’ve used has robbed my body of vision. I’m just guessing that this will continue until I pass out.” I imagined him carting me around the room in wheelchair until I completed the task at hand.

Hands wrapped around my face.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me this harmed you? Didn’t I tell you I never wanted anything to hurt you, Layna? You need rest, we can come back later.” Blackness ensued, but his arms scooped me up until I lay in his lap cradled like a child. Ironic? I felt like a child in this place. No one could save me.

He took me back to my room and left me there alone. I passed out and then woke. Tears consumed me. What had I become? The pain of those I had healed still haunted me in ways that were unexplainable to me. Had I absorbed their evilness? Healing them had left me feeling violated. My power had been used. It wouldn’t be the first time and I most certainly knew it wouldn’t be the last. This was what my life had become. I would be a tool for Leo.

The sunlight sparked on my heavy lids to alert me of a new day. How long had I slept? Thoughts crossed my mind, but answers didn’t seem important. Nothing mattered in this place. Opening my eyes, I realized I could see again.

Intent on becoming strong, I decided to go back to training until Leo decided to abuse my magic again. Being on the mats soothed me. It gave me control over a situation that had robbed everything from me. I beat the bag until energy escaped me. The looks from those around me continued to be constant in my peripheral vision. I think they all watched waiting for me to break. I wouldn’t break in front of them. No matter how much it hurt, I would not fall. They needed me, not the other way around. It crossed my mind to wonder how many of them knew about me. Had Leo kept me a secret? Surely he had from some of them, or they wouldn’t have tried to burn me up in flames when they lit my house on fire. I know he had said he had control over them now, but I didn’t believe that for a moment.

I was walking back to my room for a long shower when Leo stopped me.

“I want you to have dinner with me tonight.” The need in my body reared its ugly head. From the look on Leo’s face, he could smell it. He was a Hunter, after all. And, he hunted after me.

“Sure.” I knew it was inevitable. I would get out of this place, but not today. There was no way I would let the Hunters use me for their manipulations. I knew of the havoc they wreaked on the world, and even though Alexander had tried to get rid of me, I still belonged with the Healers. No need to share all that with Leo. Let him misplace his faith in me. It would work to my advantage.

“I left a dress in your room. I’ll come get you in an hour.” He tugged at my hand and brought it to his lips.

One hour later exactly, I opened the door to Leo.

His face went rigid at the sight of me and a bulge appeared in the center of his pants. I smiled. I hoped I could torture him for a while first. There I stood in the black strapless dress he had left for me. It was all he had left me. Leo attempted to readjust himself to no avail and finally reached out a hand to bring me closer.

“You see what you do to me. Now, just imagine what I’m going to do to you.” His words teased my body. But, everything else was empty and angry.

As we walked, soft skin between my thighs teased me into a fury. I had followed through with his mandate of just the dress to entice him, not realizing how provocative it was to me to walk around without a bra or panties.

He stopped suddenly and turned towards a door. This would be the first time he had brought me to his room. Even walking here now, I knew I would never find my way back. This house was like a maze.

The door opened and a little table sat with white linens and candles in the middle. I was pretty sure about ten of my rooms would fit in this luxury suite Leo had.

“Where are we, Leo? I mean in the world. I know we’re in your room.” He smiled.

“I want to tell you everything, but let’s go slow. It’s a lot for you to take in.” Pulling out a chair, he gestured for me to sit. Then he pulled his chair right next to mine and sat down.

“This is my house in the Haven. The Haven is where the Hunters are. We live and train here. Some of us have homes in the Haven and homes outside, like me.”

The thought of living a double life seemed exhausting.

Leo pulled the salad plates from the cart off to the side of this sitting area. We both started to eat.

“Did you always know you were a Hunter?”

“Always. I was born into this life. It’s awful to see that Healers would leave their children like your parents did to you. I’ve never heard of that happening with Hunters. We take what’s ours and hold on tightly.” The hunger in his eyes spoke full with his words. Yes, he would take me. But who knew how many other women he would take, too?

“Do all of you always take more than one woman?” Bitterness spilled over my tongue. I knew I had no right to be jealous, but I still cared. I started to pick up and eat the sweet red and orange peppers that sprawled all over my salad.

“Jealous? Good.”

“You’ve been sleeping with her the whole time, Leo! All this time with her, and lying to everyone else about it.”

“Tabitha doesn’t mean anything to me. I only did it to keep her happy.” He stood to retrieve our meal plates. Scallops and shrimp were covered in breadcrumbs and draped over pasta.

I distracted myself with the food temporarily.

“How do you live, knowing the way that you are destroying humankind? The constant sickness, the poisonous medicines…how do you do it?” I reached for a glass of wine that Leo had poured. The buttery chardonnay kissed away all the pain.

“I can’t help what I am, Layna. Any more than you can help what you are. What should I do? Turn away from the people and the life I’ve known?” Anger pulsed on his face, but something else. Was it guilt? A small part of him felt guilty. Maybe Leo wasn’t completely hopeless.

His small concession of guilt let my anger falter for just a moment. And that was all he needed. This Hunter pounced.

His hands caressed over my bottom as he plopped me in his lap. One hand slipped right under the short dress to push his fingers inside me.

“This is real, Layna. You and me, we know each other.” I was too shocked to move or fight. I dripped with need and he now knew it. This was wrong, my head screamed, but my body wasn’t going to let go.

“I can feel how hard you’re squeezing me. I couldn’t pull my hand out if I wanted to. You want this, baby. I’m going to give you this and more.” He kept going as I thrust myself on him over and over again. I ached for touch and knew his touch was wrong, but it substituted for now. I put both of my hands on his shoulder and pushed myself up and down. His hand did a great job but I imagined what it would be like to have something thicker and harder. The thoughts crashed into my mind and everything went blurry. I just needed to get off and his fingers knew all the right places. My legs tightened and then released as I came in an uncontrollable fury.

I fell over his shoulder. Everything went fuzzy as I tried to calm my breathing. My body warmed over from the release and then pain shot through me like pieces of glass. This wasn’t enough. Leo would never be enough.