Illuminated Read online

  Illuminated

  Gods and Guardians, Volume 2

  C.J. Anderson

  Published by C.J. Anderson, 2022.

  While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

  ILLUMINATED

  First edition. September 27, 2022.

  Copyright © 2022 C.J. Anderson.

  Written by C.J. Anderson.

  Also by C.J. Anderson

  Gods and Guardians

  Awakened

  Illuminated

  Watch for more at C.J. Anderson’s site.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Also By C.J. Anderson

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

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  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

  Aristotle

  Alayna

  A bright white light blinds me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I grasp the ring hanging around my neck. My pulse races in anticipation for the sudden acceleration that’s sure to be coming when I’m transported from one space-time to another. The unknown of how this process works and why, along with not knowing where I might end up, or even when, only increases my anxiety.

  A wibbly-wobbly feeling courses through my body. And although I don’t open my eyes, I can feel myself spinning, as if I’m riding the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair.

  In my mind’s eye the room around me fluctuates, spiraling like a whirlpool. Matter disperses from my conscious awareness then coalesces into a different space.

  Inertia stops me, suddenly and abruptly. I fall to my knees onto a hard surface. I open my eyes

  The wind howls. Damp, chilled wind licks at my skin. Shivering, I draw in a deep breath. Goosebumps tingle up and down my spine. I cross my arms, rubbing my hands briskly over them, so friction will warm me up.

  I’m not sure if I’m back to the present or not. But, I am filled with relief at the sight of a familiar deck railing overlooking a beautiful view of hills, now only dark outlines beneath the partially star-filled sky.

  I stand, turning to face away from the view and toward the Sanjay’s house. Picture windows run the length and height, forming the back of the house. It’s completely dark inside.

  The decking creaks as I walk toward the door. I find it locked. Remembering the key hidden near the basement door by Dru’s bedroom, I head down the steps that lead below the deck.

  I’m halfway there when I hear footsteps crunching through the woods approaching the opposite side of the house. Each step louder and sharper than the last, rapidly advancing.

  Whoever it is, they aren’t close enough for me to sense their emotional energy. Not yet anyway. My stomach twists as I prepare myself for the worst. It could be anyone. Or anyTHING. I shiver, and this time it isn’t because of the cold.

  I hurry down the remainder of the steps, crouching down against the house, hiding in the shadows. Feeling around to the side of me, I find the rock I am looking for. Quickly palming the hidden key, I examine my options.

  I can go forward or to either side, but there is only a narrow piece of land here; only enough to support the deck. Otherwise, it’s a steep drop right off the edge of the cliff.

  That leaves two viable options: fight, or flight. I can take the stairs back up, chancing a physical encounter; or, I can make a b-line for the basement door and hope I make it inside without detection.

  I can hear the beat of my heart like it’s in stereo. I try and steady my breathing, but it’s impossible! Deciding to count to three before making my move, I take a deep breath and let it out. One. I take another breath. Two. As I breathe in my third breath, I’m ready to move when I hear my name.

  “Layna? Layna!”

  Footsteps pound and the wood decking creaks. I inhale a breath, hold it, and freeze. What if it’s a trick? Like when Dru was lured out to the woods by his evil clones, using my voice?

  Holding completely still I blow out some of the air I’ve been holding in. Then, suddenly, I am hit with a wave of familiar emotions that curl around me like a loving hug.

  Security like being tucked away during a thunderstorm. The warmth of the sun on a chilly day. The relaxation and happiness the forest brings, home.

  Only one person has an emotional signature like that!

  Leaping out of the shadows, I sprint toward the steps. Then, grasping the railing I spin myself to a stop.

  I look up. My eyes move all the way up from his sneakers to his jeans, thumbs in the pockets, black t-shirt, and take in his bright green eyes.

  A sarcastic smirk appears on his face. “See something you like?”

  “Dru! Oh my god! It IS you!” I dart up the remaining steps and launch myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

  Dru wraps his arms around me. Blue tendrils of his calming emotion snake around me and I let out a sigh of relief.

  My fingers intertwined behind his neck; I gaze into his eyes.

  “Alayna I ... I ...” he stammers.

  It’s my turn to smirk. “Druid Sanjay? Are you at a loss for words?”

  Dru shakes his head. “I don’t need words when I can do this.”

  His lips are on mine in a nanosecond, leaving me breathless and dazed. Then he kisses my cheeks, my chin, my nose and even my eyelids. Each kiss speaking to me, a secret language that only the two of us understand. I am his and he is mine, and we belong together.

  He pulls back and stares into my eyes. “Is this real? Are we actually here? Together?”

  I nod and he sets me down on my feet. Taking one of my hands and weaving our fingers together he pulls me toward the door leading into the house from the deck. “Come on, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat, and trade stories.”

  Dru

  My energy stores are all but depleted. Alayna senses this and rather than waiting for me to use my telekinesis, unlocks the door with a spare key.

  I flip the light switch. Nothing. I sigh. “Power’s out.”

  Alayna shrugs. “It feels like stormy weather outside. Probably a downed electric pole somewhere.”

  “I hope that’s all. But we can’t be too certain. After what we’ve been through, we need to assume Protocol Alpha.”

  “Protocol Alpha, right. That’s the one where we avoid the use of electronics and meet at the rendezvous?”

  I nod and we head straight for the kitchen.

  Using my free hand, I pull two flashlights out of a drawer, click one on and hand it over to Alayna.

  She looks into my eyes. Concern etched in her gaze. “Your energy stores are low. I’ll rummage through the fridge. You sit.” She nods toward the couch.

  A slow exhalation exits my lungs. I shake my head. “Go ahead and grab some food for us, but I need to make certain the perimeter remains secure.”

  Reluctantly, Alayna nods, releasing my hand as I turn toward the staircase. I use my flashlight t
o illuminate the way up to Zane’s lab.

  Zane has certain protocols set up for different situations and is careful to have a backup power source in his office, as well as others around the property. It is not connected to the house, though, as it uses a different type of technology.

  The backup power source is humming, so I check all security measures remotely. I am careful not to access any outside signals or the Internet, lest someone is monitoring us. After I am certain the security is tight and verify there are no life signs inside the secured area, I head back downstairs.

  Candlelight from a single flame flickers, casting a warm glow on and around the coffee table. Loads of cold cuts, cheese, bread, cookies, tea, and protein snacks await on a tray.

  Huddled on the couch, Alayna rests her elbows on her knees, hands clasped. Her right leg bouncing up and down. Placing one hand on her back, I sit beside her and with my other hand on her knee, hold it still.

  “Layna. I’m here now. We’re together.”

  She sits back. Turning toward me, she blinks her eyes several times fast, while looking up, as if keeping tears at bay.

  What has she been through? I worry.

  Pulling her in for a tight embrace I say, “First food, then we’ll talk about it.”

  I kiss the top of her head, taking in the smell of her hair before pulling away and inhaling half of the food directly off the tray. Alayna does the same.

  “Sorry about the tea. I know it’s not Lo’s. But it’s the same ingredients so hopefully it will have the same amino acids.”

  I throw my head back, drinking the tea in one gulp. “No worries. It’s great.”

  Alayna takes a sip, then spews it out of her mouth, coughing. “Lier! It tastes like tar!”

  I shrug, “Maybe I like tar.

  At this, Alayna smiles. It’s a tired smile, but nevertheless, I’ll take it.

  Now sitting crisscross on the couch, she turns toward me, takes a deep breath then says, “I need to tell you about the worst day of my entire life.”

  My heart sinks. This cannot be good, obviously. What happened?

  Well, aside from the undeniable show on the historic battlefield; complete with real life monsters, me at the heart of it all. I do not know what any of it means. Why were there exact replicas of myself? What were the Drakkon up to? Why did they need me? But most importantly, why was I not strong enough to break free from their control? I am meant to be strong. Created to be a super-soldier. I have obliterated beings twice the size of Drakkon.

  I am a complete disappointment. I failed myself, my parents, my friends, the P.O.L.’s; but the absolute worst of it all is my failure of Alayna. The look in her eyes right now. This is all my fault. All because I could not break free.

  “I’m listening,” I murmur.

  Alayna tells me about her worst day. Ever. She had woken up excited because she had decided we could be together, definitively. She couldn’t wait to tell me.

  At first, I feel hopeful. But then, she tells me the remainder of the story; how everyone saw me, or at least someone who looked exactly like me, murder a girl in cold blood on a video, how she found out, and what she saw afterward that sent her completely off the rails.

  Alayna drops her head. “And I can’t get what I saw next scrubbed from my brain. No matter what I do!”

  I sit there, silent. What could be worse than her seeing a human girl killed in cold blood by who she thought was me? “Alayna...” I start, and I take her hand.

  She yanks it out of my grasp and takes a deep breath. “I’m just going to tell you. Don’t say anything until I’m done. Okay?”

  I nod.

  I am not one to get over emotional. But I must admit, that stung. I was not expecting that.

  “So, even though I saw what I thought was you murdering a girl. I could deal with that. Or at least, knew that I could get to a point of dealing with it. I know that sounds terrible. It was awful! Seeing that. Feeling that. But what I saw next just about killed me.” She squeezes her eyes shut, takes a deep breath, then opens her eyes.

  “There was another video.” A sniffle escapes her. “It was of you; I mean what looked like you... and Gretchen. And you were, you were...”

  At this point, sobs erupt from her and all she can manage to get out is one word at a time, in between sobs. “Were ... doing ... it. IT-it.”

  My mouth falls completely open. Resisting the urge to pull Alayna close to me, I run my fingers through my hair instead. What the fuck? Oh my god.

  “...Had ... never ... felt ... so much ... anger ... rage ... disappointment ... abandonment ... fear.”

  I am absolutely disgusted about this. Gretchen? EW!

  I pull Alayna to me, holding her in a tight embrace. Tears pour off her cheeks dampening my shirt. To soothe her, I rub her back and whisper. “Alayna, I would never. You know that, right? It wasn’t me. Please believe me. It was one of the clones. It wasn’t me.”

  She has calmed down enough to speak in full sentences now. “I know, Dru. I do. But the image. I can’t get it out of my head!”

  I feel like someone has taken a knife and sliced me right across my stomach.

  I pull back, look directly into her eyes, and brush away the teardrops with my thumb. “Alayna, I LOVE you, and I’m so sorry you had to experience that. I wish I could take it away from you. I wish I could take it all away.”

  She nods, “Even if you had done those things, in the end, I would have forgiven you.”

  Feeling abashed, I drop my head. “Why?”

  “When I saw you in that bubble of energy, I just couldn’t let you die alone.”

  “What do you mean die alone?”

  She fills me in on what happened in between the videos she saw and seeing me in my hybrid-Drakkon form. My emotions are completely torn apart at the seams. I do not deserve her. Alayna is so good. She is light. I am the opposite of that. I am darkness.

  Deserving or not, the love I feel for Alayna is so deep that I don’t know what to say or what to do. So, I ask probably the stupidest thing I could possibly ask.

  “So, I know this is a sore subject and all, and believe me, I don’t like her either, but you’ve never told me exactly why you dislike Gretchen so much.”

  She sits back crossing her arms. “Not that I want to think about that bitch right now, but ...”

  Turning toward her, I hold my hands up in front of me. “I’m sorry. I am an idiot. I don’t need to know.”

  “No, it’s okay. It started in Kindergarten,” Alayna says.

  “That young?” I ask, incredulously.

  Alayna rolls her eyes. “I know right!”

  She takes a deep breath, then begins to explain. “So, even though she was bossy as hell, everyone was always drawn to her, everyone except for me that is. Maybe it was because of my ability to feel emotions, I don’t know. But I just didn’t want to go along with her plans.”

  I snicker, attempting to be lighthearted. “Empath. Yep. That’s what we’ll go with.”

  Alayna crosses her arms. Narrowing her eyes at me she demands, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing,” I feign innocence.

  Alayna stares daggers at me and I confess.

  “I was only thinking it was more likely your independence, as opposed to your abilities.”

  Alayna flips me off then crosses her arms and turns away from me.

  I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that. I love your independent nature. So, continue. I promise I won’t interrupt anymore.”

  Alayna leans back into me and continues. “She just wanted everyone to do whatever she said and for the most part they did it. Kid after kid would get in trouble because she would tell them to do something and they would do it. Like, one time she told this boy to dip a girl’s ponytail in blue paint, and he did it. Another time, she suggested a girl cut her own hair, and she did it.

  “Time-after-time, I tried to tell the teacher, but Gretchen would also t
ell the teacher and would say I was tattling. I would end up getting in trouble for being a tattle tale. It was ridiculous!

  “From then on, as time went on, things got worse and worse. And she didn’t waste any time talking others into doing things to me either. Although, she seemed to especially get off on taking matters into her own hands when it came to me. Over the years, things evolved from hair cutting and little-kid stuff like that, to meaner things.”

  Alayna stops talking.

  “What do you mean by meaner things? Like, physically hurting you?”

  “Well, yeah. Usually it wasn’t anything that could put me in the hospital. Just pushing me into lockers in middle school and tripping me, stuff like that. Although, this one time, she did shove me down on the ground and talked some other kids into helping her hold me down while she shoved dirt in my mouth! I almost choked to death.”

  “Fuck, Alayna! You have every right to hate her.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” She shrugs and looks over her shoulder at me. “But I survived. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?”

  “Doesn’t mean you can’t hate the bitch.”

  “Yeah, I should. I mean, she would lie to teachers, telling them I did the things she actually did, and the teachers would believe her. I spent countless hours in detention because of her. I even got detention for the dirt incident because she said I started it!”

  “That’s bull shit!” I say.

  “I know. But nobody believed me except for my mom and Uncle Trace. That is, until J came along. J saw through Gretchen and didn’t want to have anything to do with her.

  “She and I teamed up and over time we discovered that the other kids whom she used, they would remember doing the stuff Gretchen said, then afterward would feel really bad about it. There were some we befriended, like Patrick and Lizzie, and Christie and they would hang out with us.”

  “You owe her some serious payback!”

  Alayna shrugs her shoulders. “Maybe. But look at it this way. I’m stronger, physically because of her. Every time I trained with Lo, I would think of Gretchen and that emotion that would rise up fueled me to train harder and faster.”