Her greed got the best of her. That's what happened. "That's a lot of you all to ask someone so young."
"Yes, it is and it's not ideal." His eyes soften and he relaxes his shoulders. "It's not very fair to you, but it's for our kind. We have an open seat that needs to be filled and you're the only one that can fill it. We need you to step up."
There is a knock at the door and it opens. A butler walks in and looks straight at Luke. "Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt but Dax is awake."
13
What I'm not expecting is to find Dax up and walking around when we get back to the room he was reaped in. Yet, there he is, pacing around the large table taking sips of water from a large glass one of the butlers has handed him.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" I can't help but worry about him. Becca's reaction to her resurrection comes back into my mind and makes me wonder how he's handling the physical part of this so much better.
"I'm fine, really." He takes another sip of water and shakes out a leg. "Just a little jittery, that's all."
"Why are you so worried about him?" Luke rubs a thumb across his lip and tilts his head.
"It's just when I brought Becca back, she was barely coherent and didn't feel right in her skin." Granted he seems a little out of sorts, but nothing like her. "He's just doing a lot better."
"That's because he knew what he was getting into." Luke walks over next to me and watches him. "I warned him what it would be like, so it helped with the transition."
This is so strange. "Why would you agree to this?" I would never willingly die and come back to life for anyone.
His dark, black eyes find mine and he stretches out his arms. "It's for the greater good. I have family and I don't want them to have to suffer if the future is as bleak as they say. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we can change it for the better."
So, in other words, they found someone who wants to change the world for the better and manipulated them into doing this. Been there, done that, except I didn't care about the world until now. Heck, it's more than just Earth too. "But it's more than just changing this world."
"I know." He nods and puffs out his chest. "I'm ready to escort you to Hell. That's the whole reason I needed to be brought back. So I can take you there."
Well, shit. They did tell him the whole truth. I'm a little flabbergasted here. "Don't you think you need a little more time to acclimate. I don't want to push you."
"Tsk, tsk." Luke grabs a piece of paper off the table and looks at it. "He's a grown man. If he says he is able to take you to Hell, I think he knows. He's one of the best trained council agents there are."
Yeah, I'd be sucking up to him right now too if I were Luke. "Okay, so we're going right now?" Shit, I've had one training session. I was hoping to have a few more before heading down under.
"There is no time like the present." Dax nods and takes a few steps toward me. "The longer we wait, the closer we get to that future."
"He's right. You should go now." Luke's brow creases, he sets down the paper, and turns to me. "But you should be very careful. As we discussed earlier, you're very important to both the council and our kind. We can't afford to lose you."
I have to bite my tongue to prevent the fit of laughter that wants to rattle my chest. Growing up, I always felt like I was a nuisance and could never do anything right in my parent’s eyes. So, to have the council tell me I'm important and they need me is a little surreal, even if I've never liked them. "My goal is to make it back unharmed." Isn't that everyone's' goal?
His eyes turn to Dax. "I need you to make sure she's protected at all times. She needs to come back safe and unharmed."
"The message is loud and clear." Dax lowers his head and lifts his shirt up revealing a gun on each side of his jeans and knife strapped to his side.
Holy crap, I didn’t expect him to be armed in here. They must trust him, which increases my suspicion twofold. I wish there was a way I could get down there and back without help from the council or Damien.
“We also can’t afford for her to fall into the hands of the wrong people.” Luke lowers his head and looks up. “Do you understand? I need her back here just as she stands now.”
“You do realize I’m right here?” I hate it when people talk as if I’m not even in the room. Hell, I have two artifacts inside me, and he even admits I’m powerful, so why is he treating me as if I’m inconsequential?
His head snaps over in my direction. “Of course, dear. It’s just I need him to understand how important you are to us.”
So, he can’t do that by including me in the conversation? Yeah, not buying it. “You can still address me as well, especially if I’m important.” They want to make me an Elder but still treat me like this. Something isn’t adding up. “I mean, if you believed that, wouldn’t you want to make sure I felt that way … felt valued?”
“How can you not when we risked one of our best men, so they could accompany you on your journey?” His tone is condescending,
