Only Human: Angels and Demons

Chapter 58: Jason Hendrix

Sorry for the late post today. I am currently moving and things got... jumbled. Please enjoy, and thank you to all my readers! I especially enjoy reading your comments!

-Lucinda Croft

Change of POV

My left arm suddenly exploded in searing pain. I fell forward gripping my arm while my vision went white. I could barely manage to stifle my scream.

"Master Hendrix! What's wrong?" Mary said with a tight panicked voice. She tried to support me from behind, but I could barely feel her hands over the pain.

"Jason, is this some sort of ploy to get me to leave?" Katherine said bored and annoyed. Her blue and silver tea-dress swished as she crossed her arms.

I gasped trying to regain my composure when the pain suddenly left me. I stood straight and examined my arm. What the hell was that?!

"Master Hendrix are you okay?" Keith asked. He could tell that I wasn't putting on an act, but Katherine was not convinced.

"Look, I know you have this meeting or whatever, but there is no need for these theatrics. Just take me to the human, and we can visit Ulysses together while you finish your 'very' important meeting. I swear Jason, you can be such a child sometimes." Katherine said with a disapproving glare. Her human hovered close behind her.

"First, you must swear to protect June with all your power. You must not kill or hurt her, and you must defend her from those who want to." The Angel's Heart said using June's voice.

"Where's June?" I asked feeling an intense dread. If that pain was somehow related to her, why did it stop? Am I already on borrowed time?

Mary instantly knew where my mind was at and started towards the girl's wing.

"June? The human? Finally." Katherine said misunderstanding my urgency. I rushed after Mary with the others following behind. "Slow down, Jason! Keith, carry my human. She can't keep up with this pace." Keith did as he was ordered.

With vampiric speed we were soon searching June's room. There was no sign of her. I rushed off knowing there were only two other places she could be. I quickly passed over the greenhouse not seeing anyone inside, and was out in the gardens when I heard screams of anguish and fury. These were not June's cries.

Keith put Katherine's human down and stood at the front of us, as we slowly approached the screams. "You may want to stay back, Your Highness," he instructed.

Her annoyed countenance had finally changed into a more serious one. "Do not underestimate me." She growled.

What we eventually saw left everyone breathless. Cenderion stood with his hands moving with intentional precision as one of my guests, James Keller I believed, dangled in a net of vines protruding from the nearby forest. The screams we had heard were coming from him along with sickening cracks and pops. Behind them was my other guest, Terris, being restrained by a single vine; his terror-stricken face unable to look away from his assistant's torture.

"What the hell is going on here?!" I yelled. How could this dryad just decide to torment my guests on a whim? I needed them, and now my chances of negotiating a deal were down to zero.

Cenderion whipped his head in my direction redirecting his fury. I could feel a shiver run up my spine recognizing the power difference between us. He did release Mr. Keller, but not until he had broken every bone in his body with a crushing blow.