Fury

He was furious; pacing back and forth, his fists were clenched. “Why the hell am I just now finding out Nigier?” Gaylen was fuming with anger; Centos had come to her home! She was not safe here yet he knew there would be nothing he could do to talk her into going anywhere else; even if it were temporary. “I wanted to make sure Jeli was okay first; I didn’t know if he had already found her or not. I’m sorry Gaylen, my priority was her.” Nigier knew he would be angry but had he not have been here who knows what would’ve happened. No, Angelica’s safety had to come first; after he calmed down he would understand that. “If he wanted to hurt me he would have,” sitting at the kitchen table Angelica was trying to make sense of everything. Why had Centos decided to just show himself and not do her harm? Was it a warning? Intimidation? It could have been any number of things; but the one thing that continued to stand out to her was the same smokey taste in her mouth she had with the ghost just a few days before. “There has to be some connection between him and the ghost. Maybe she is trying to show me some connection with him, or maybe a warning; it just doesn’t make sense.” Ghosts confusing her was not new; they didn’t always know how to communicate so Angelica often found herself having to put the pieces to the puzzle together. “If she is in fact connected somehow to Centos she is dangerous Angelica! I know how you feel about me interfering with your gift but this time I will have no choice; this time I must intercede,” Gaylen was not going to allow this spirit to do her any more harm. If Centos in fact has placed a dark side spirit in her path it was clearly to hurt her.
Angelica knew there was no calming him down at this point; his temper was well noted and she knew when to let things go, for the time being anyway. “Nigier, return home; find out what you can about what Centos has been up to. I will kill him myself if I have to,” Gaylen had not been this enraged since he learned of his father’s order to kill Angelica the first time. “Gaylen, listen to me, we need to find out what the connection is between the spirit and Centos. If we can figure that out I can not only help her but possibly stop him.” Angelica had been part of this world for some time now and she understood the importance of helping spirits cross over. They could be manipulated by the dark side and she felt it was her job as a gifted to stop that from happening. “She’s right, you know. If we can determine just what the spirit wants then maybe we can figure out what Centos’ plan really is. There is something about that spirit that he is connecting to. Killing him will only trigger a war; are you ready for that? The outcome will not be good.”
Nigier knew of the consequences of Gaylen’s actions if he did something to Centos. He was certain that Centos’ plan was far greater than hurting Angelica; no, he wanted war. He had wanted it since Yiorgos allowed Gaylen to receive his powers back; he felt it broke the council’s code and he personally felt betrayed. They had to be smart; acting out of emotions was something they just could not afford to do.
“Fine; I won’t kill him, yet. But know this, brother, if one hair on her head is hurt I will rain war on all the worlds. Go now, find out what you can; I will stay here with Angelica.” Gaylen stood behind her as she sat in the chair, placing both his hands on either side of her shoulders. He could not fathom life without her again. “I will return as soon as I hear anything,” with that Nigier disappeared. Turning to the side of the chair, Angelica stood and wrapped her arms around his waist as she placed her head on his chest. “It’s going to be fine, love. I’ve never been harmed by a spirit and I don’t plan on starting now.” He placed his finger under her chin raising her head so he could look into her eyes, “you have no idea what we are dealing with my love. Centos is extremely dangerous and I do not put it past him to turn the spirit. You have never experienced a real feeling of suffocating and choking like you did with this one either; this spirit made you FEEL, not just sense or see. No, I will not allow you to be harmed; you must let me intercede.”
Pulling away from him, she stood definitely as she answered, “you will not! This is for me to figure out. I will allow you to be a part of it Gaylen, but interfering with my gift is not something I can allow. You know how important helping spirits is to me. I just need to figure out what she wants and how I can help her cross over before Centos does manipulate her. In the meantime, my overprotective Orb, you will not interfere,” with that she stormed out of the room.
She was so damn stubborn; he loved that about her, but this time he couldn’t afford to let her do it on her own. He would wait to hear what Nigier found out before he made any decisions on just how involved he would be with the spirit; as for Centos, all bets were off. He would deal with him; just how he would deal with him would depend on his intent. It was no secret he despised Gaylen; and the feeling was mutual. It was Centos that brought his love for Angelica to the council in hopes of starting a war; although it did not work that time, this time it just might.
Gaylen walked outside, intent on assessing the surroundings; looking for any sign of Centos near the house. Giving Angelica some time to cool down would do them both some good; she was the only one that could match his temper spark for spark. Yes, she was feisty, stubborn and very temperamental; but she had the heart of a warrior and he loved her with everything he had.
After ensuring there was no imminent sign of Centos, Gaylen returned inside and went into the room. She was just coming out of the bathroom in her bathrobe, her hair was damp from the shower and her bare feet made the slightest slap against the wood floors as she walked over to the bed. He lay on top of the sheets with his back propped against the wall as she crawled next to him and lay her head on his stomach.
“I know you just want to help and I understand your protective nature, but you have to let me do this on my own. I promise to keep you informed and tell you everything as it happens, but Gaylen, you have to stay out of it,” she knew how much he loved her and she loved him just the same; but her gift was hers and she loved it. Helping spirits cross over brought them and her peace; the dark side was always a battle she faced as they continued to try to sway troubled spirits to go with them instead of crossing over. Oftentimes they would promise spirits they would connect them with loved ones on the other side; but once they entered their souls would forever be locked into the darkness.
“I am trying, sweetheart, but do you understand the danger you are in? I cannot lose you again,” he was softly brushing her arm with his hand; as the memory of losing her came flooding back. “You have to let me try; it’s all I ask,” she said as she closed her eyes; falling asleep on him was something she did often and he loved it. Her eyes opened quickly as she felt him tense; trying to gather her senses as she looked around the room for the reason, her eyes landed on the figure in the window. His eyes were coal black as he stared at them; the feeling of overwhelming fear came over her as Gaylen shot out of bed. Following him, Angelica grabbed his arm to stop him, “Gaylen don’t!” Her breathing was heaving as worry took over her; she was with him, the spirit. Her face was almost like a mist as she wore the same sheer nightgown as before; and just as quickly as Angelica saw her she disappeared, not without leaving the same smoky taste in her mouth. Beginning to cough and try to catch her breath brought Gaylen back to his senses as he reached down to help her.
“Stop this! Stop this right now!” she managed to choke out. As she began to feel the smoky taste disappear she slowly stood back upright, glaring at Centos. “You think you can protect her Orb? There is no stopping what is coming; no matter who your father is. I will have my revenge; and I will revel in your pain.” Just as he spat out the last of his sentence, Gaylen lunged towards him as he once again disappeared.