Page 67 of Helsing: Demon Slayer
Pulling himself to his full height, he glared at the trio of young men and one woman. “Haven’t you got someplace to be right now?” He made a show of looking at his watch, which ran better than he did on theElioudrecharge. “According to the schedule I set, all recruits have shooting practice at 1100.”
Their eyes widened, but only one had the presence of mind to nod and respond with a loud “Sir, yes, sir” before hitting his nearest friend on the back of the head. The group pivoted and ran toward the indoor range, the woman trailing as she glanced over her shoulder at Ryan. He didn’t know where they’d come from, but it didn’t matter: young people were the same all over the world.
Ryan stood upright, his eyes narrowed as he followed their progress, until the four had disappeared inside the shoot house. Then he relaxed, dizziness sweeping over him. A hard thrumming juddered him, making his knees buckle. He maintained his standing position by some miracle of will. And then the quaking subsided, gentle vibrations soothing his body as his harmonic signature calmed. He recognized the feeling, and his gaze scanned the quad.
There. Across from him, coming on a paved path through some trees. Dianne and Beta, deep in conversation. He faded behind a nearby tree not a moment too soon because Dianne looked at the spot where he’d stood only a minute before. Ryan drank in the sight of her, sunlight turning her blond hair into a physical halo around her skin with its undertones of roses and cream.
He should have told Willem or Olivia that he could read Dianne’s harmonic signature. It had started after Medugorje, after the geomagnetic flare and that soul-searing kiss. He hadn’t wanted to say anything until he understood how he felt about it, this surprisingElioudability that he’d never thought to have. He realized part of him had wanted it to mean something—like a signal from Heaven that he and Dianne were meant for each other. Now his hopes seemed ill-founded at best, dangerous at worst.
But what if the flare had powered their bond? A bond that had been primed by the simple harmonic tether that Olivia had created? It had certainly recharged his harmonic chainmail system. What else had the flare ignited in them? If the flare had sparked changes, were they permanent?
A gift—or a curse?
Ryan had already feared that his bond with Dianne was permanent by the time the DutchElioudsuggested the possibility with a somber sympathy that had sent Ryan’s hackles quivering. The man had loved his fiancée and lost her to the DarkIrimYeqon, the original Seducer. Long before Ryan could read harmonic signatures, he’d sensed the pain shadowing Willem’s spirit.
In fact, Ryan could see a lot more than that: he could see Beta’s harmonics, and a slight, wavery sheen on the world around him. It was both disconcerting and awe-inducing.
Dianne’s harmonic signature was a royal purple and gold, and a soft golden aura limned her form. Yet there was something malign corrupting its purity. Something that Ryan very much feared he’d gifted her on their escape from Split.
Dianne’s glance lingered for a moment as she and Beta continued walking, their trajectory taking them to the outdoor shooting range. And then both women disappeared around the corner of a building on the north side of the quad.
After a long moment, Ryan shook himself from his involuntary reverie and continued on to the research and development complex beyond the quad in a quiet recess enlarged from a natural cavity in the base of the bordering mountain. He needed to give Miró the small charm that he’d recovered in Split after battling the one-eyeddaemoniac.
What if whatever was between them was an illusion activated by that evil charm?
He found the intenseElioudscientist in a lab at the back of the main R&D building, the room lined on three sides with workbenches where tools and raw materials lay in neat groupings. Though the bare walls were pristine white, the large windows and skylights filled the space with natural light, softening its sterility.
After Miró surprised him with a warm handshake and slap on the shoulder, Ryan drew the metallic hand from his pocket—the one with its disturbing blue-white-and-black crystal–and passed it over. He knew something was wrong even before Miró examined it. Not just when he picked it up, but in the way it resonated near Dianne.
Miró turned the charm in his palm, studying it withElioudprecision. The lab was silent except for the low hum of harmonic instruments, casting gentle light across the tablet he was already pulling data from.
“This is not simply a token,” said Miró. “It is an Eye of Hamsa. More than that, it is a lureanda tether.”
Ryan frowned. “What do you mean?”
Miró’s piercing gaze met his. “It draws those who are susceptible to Abaddon’s influence. Makes possession easier. Less energy required.”
Ryan’s stomach knotted. His worst fears were true. He’d been unwittingly giving the Dark Lord of the Abyss access to Dianne ever since they escaped from Split.
“It affects Dianne Markham,” he said.
A statement, not a question.
Miró’s expression darkened. “It also explains a lot about how Abaddon and his Locusts penetrated the Albanian border. Granted Mihàil is wounded, but we have significantly strengthened the harmonic defenses along the Albanian border, especially in the southwest quadrant.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at the Eye. “Even so, the Eye’s power is too limited on its own. The flare likely supercharged its harmonics—a theory I am testing now. If that is true, its increased influence may still be active. Perhaps evenamplifiedby your proximity."
“Are you saying that Dianne doesn’t stand a chance?”
Miró shook his head, his ice-blue gaze intensifying until it seemed to glow from within. “Dianne is strong, Ryan. He will not be able to possess her unless—”
Ryan stood up, cutting Miró short. He didn’t need the rest. If she was vulnerable, it was because of him, because of what bound them, and what he’d unknowingly carried. And now he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“She can’t know,” he said immediately. “Not yet.”
Miró studied him, gaze sharp with understanding. “You will have to tell her eventually.”
“I know.”
But not now.Not when the distance between them was already growing. It was the only way to protect her.
