I chewed on my lip. “I have that feeling too.”
“And your other friend, Nate, is planning to kill his ex the minute he can.”
If I had the emotions, I would be feeling a whole range of them over that. Fear for his life, anger that he would risk his life, worry for all the above. And even though I didn’t feel all that, at the very pit of my stomach something was gnawing at me and trying to wake up.
“He’s an idiot,” was all I said.
“His life, his choice.” Anahita shrugged. “If it makes you feel any better, he spent his morning shooting in the range downstairs.”
“And Zane is totally going to let him out of Underhill with a gun," I replied sardonically.
“Oh, no. He won’t. But I am a little more lenient with ethics and morality.”
“Why are you telling me all this? Aren’t you afraid that I will say something?”
She eyed me prudently. “Because I know about the tea that Meredith gave you. It makes you more rationally minded than letting your feelings dictate your actions. And you know that with Korina out of the way, the world would be safer. And you know your friend is a good shot. There’s a good chance that he can take her out. And if you go down, that chance is nil. Let him have this.”
“Fine,” I huffed. "But promise me that you will make sure if it all goes to shit that Nate gets out of there unharmed."
She sighed. “I can’t watch over you and him.”
I scrutinized her. “What are you talking about?”
“Zane made me promise that if you fail, that I take your body. I can’t keep track of both of you.”
“Well, Zane can do that-” I stopped, allowing her words to sink in. Zane wouldn’t be there tonight. That gnawing in my stomach became more of an ache, and although my emotions didn’t reach my head yet, they still took certain liberties with my body.
I hurried down the steps and pounded on the door a couple of times before I opened it, just in case he slept in the nude. It didn’t surprise me when I saw the sheet draped around his lower half, exposing a naked ridged chest.
“You’re not coming tonight,” I stated.
“Dammit, Anahita,” he swore, rubbing his face. His skin was sallow with lack of sleep and an indicator of his species, creating dark shadows under his eyes and the hollows of his cheeks.
“So, it’s true?” I raised my eyebrows.
His jaw clenched. “I can’t be there.”
“Why?”
Zane stared into my eyes, grabbing my attention. There was so much raw emotion and intensity in them.
“Caden, I can’t help you in your battle.”
“I already know this. I have been warned extensively. It’s my battle. Not yours. I never expected you to help me fight.”
He tightened his grip on the sheet. "If I go, I can't stop myself from interfering, and you will die when I do.” Every one of his words was punctuated with pain, anger, and something that I couldn’t pinpoint.
I wanted to feel something about his admission, and my stomach churned, but my mind told me that I didn’t have time for this. I looked at him with irritation and frustration, turned around, and shut the door. Walking out into the hallway, Anahita was at the bottom of the steps.
I didn’t wait for her to respond. “Just help me prepare for tonight.”
Chapter Thirty-FIVE
Working with Anahita while feeling very little of anything was very dreamlike. With Anahita’s graceful movements and my lack of being on edge, our actions were very fluid, and actually quite complementary. She was like a ballerina in a form of dance when she fought; and although I wasn’t as elegant as her, my movements did become quite agile. Our style was about evasion and how to find the upper hand without using all our muscles to dominate. More so than when I fought Zane, which was more about strength and overpowering, but similar in our mental sparring session. By practicing with both vampires, I was finding my own fighting style and adapting. My only hope was that I would continue to improve through tonight.
After a few hours, she called practice over. I was pretty sure that a part of it was that we could hear the house waking up. There was movement upstairs and rustling in Zane’s room. And after cleaning off, without a word, Anahita made a beeline into Zane’s room. I had no desire to stick around, so I went upstairs to find my friends munching on food in the family room.
Meredith and Nate still looked groggy and worn, even as the time was approaching late afternoon. They only gave me nods when I glanced at them. I was starting to feel some of my emotions again, and I grinned as I went over to Nate and rustled his hair.
He groaned as he took a bite out of his sandwich. “It’s too early for that.”
“It’s like four,” I glared at him, still tousling his hair.
He gently pushed my hand away. “We have been getting ready in our own ways,” he snubbed.
Something nudged at me to argue with him or talk him out of his idiotic idea. But I didn't, and when I didn't, Nate shared a knowing look with Meredith.
I rolled my eyes. “I know you are excited about feeling free to use your magic again, Meredith, but I think it’s time that you quit using me as your guinea pig.”
Her eyes rounded and she gave a very faux innocent look. “Of course.”
“I mean it,” I warned her.
She worried her lip with her finger and instantly, I knew she was working on something else. I just did. But the only thing that I could do is promise myself to turn down anything given to me by her in the near future. I wasn’t willing to upset her over this right now.
“Why don’t you get a shower? And when you come out, I will have lunch for you,” Nate suggested, taking the heat off Meredith.
I gave him and her a speculating look, but when they didn’t reveal anything, I sighed and followed his suggestion.
The hot water felt good on my warring body and soothed any aches from all the training. My emotions waking felt very odd to me because it was slow; unlike when we did the Vessel spell, and I just shut down. I could feel my brain trying to connect with my gut, wanting to switch over to those impulses and something blocking it from doing so. Part of me felt at peace, not having to worry about my challenge, my friends' safety or just the current status of my situation. But in the recesses of my brain, something was telling me that magic had a price, and I would be paying for it in the future.
But without enough in me to care, I finished my shower, dressed comfortably, and met my friends back in the family room. And true to his word, Nate had a couple of sandwiches and a Coke for me.
We spent the next couple of hours just being friends like we before; talking about concerts that were approaching that we wanted to go to. Or classes that we were liking or not liking. The topic of school did bring up what we thought might happen at our temporary school. How long it might take to get our school repaired, or even if any of our school dances would be held there. And even though this discussion touched on the border of the Supernatural, Meredith, and Nate never brought up Myles or my challenge. Our moods were light and lifted, and it felt like old times.
And it wasn’t my impending doom that brought us back to reality, it was the intercom that buzzed at the front.
“I was summoned,” Ajax voiced into the intercom, which sounded annoyed as it echoed around the manor.
Before we had even gotten up from the family room, Finn had come out of his bedroom and was stalking to the front door. We stood prepared for Finn to let him in, but when he just walked out the front door and shut it behind him, we scurried to the front of the house.
Looking out the windows, Finn barely said anything, his face still etched with anger and hostility. Ajax’ face was not as severe, but there was still a gravity to the situation. His eyes had a gleam of anxiety behind them and the bags under them showed his wariness, but the rest of him remained stoic. Until Finn said something that I didn’t catch, and Ajax’ lips thinned.
“What are they saying?” Meredith pressed he
r face up to the glass and turned her ear against it.
“I don’t know. I’m not a lip-reader,” Nate replied, getting closer to the window himself.
Meredith scowled at Nate, who was next to her against the window. Then she looked up at me with hope. “Can you hear anything with that Venatrix hearing of yours?”
I strained my ear against the window next to theirs, trying to make out something. I couldn’t even hear a rumble of voices. I shook my head.
We turned back to watch out the windows. Their conversation was very brief, and then they walked to opposite sides of the house and held out their hands. My skin began to prick with the magic they were wielding, even though the house stopped it from any penetration.
"They are doing something magical," I muttered, watching them. Finn and Ajax' faces were tight with the energy that they were spending and the concentration that they were using.
“They are re-warding or re-guising the house,” Meredith watched them in wonder.
“But Finn has been in his room, re-warding the house,” I murmured to no one in particular.
Meredith shrugged. “I know that pose. They are adding some sort of protection here.”
We turned our attention back onto what was happening outside the windows. And when their energy was spent, Finn just glared at Ajax and then turned back toward the house. We didn’t see what happened to Ajax as we scurried back to the family room, pretending that we hadn’t watched the entire thing while Finn was marching his way back. We really did try to look inconspicuous when he came in and headed our way, but our eyes beseeched each other, searching for some sort of answer, and from the annoyed look Finn gave us, he wasn’t fooled.
“I need a moment alone with Caden,” Finn’s gruff voice and residual magic crystallized the tension in the room.
Meredith’s lips pursed and her eyes became wide as she hopped off the couch, grabbing Nate’s arm. They scampered down the hallway, giving me pitying glances as they looked back until I couldn’t see them anymore. I knew the minute Finn left, Meredith would be begging for information.
I didn’t bother moving from my seat on the couch, but I clasped my hands together and looked up at him expectantly.
“You need to move in here permanently,” he declared crisply.
I blinked a couple of times, unsure that I had heard him correctly. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You and Sera need to move in here permanently. And the sooner, the better.”
I crossed my arms across my chest, feeling the ache of defiance at being told what to do slowly rise up.
“I’m not sure we have really gotten to know one another, but since when have I ever followed a command?”
Instead of backing down, the anger in his eyes grew, and his nostrils flared. "You don't quite know the consequences of your actions, my nighlian.”
“About being a hidden Venatrix?” I interrupted, haughtily, ignoring the foreign word, which was probably his way of calling me something nasty without me getting angry due to my language ignorance. “Because that is totally my fault.” I could feel the sneer on my face.
His own sneer matched mine well and was actually much more intimidating. “Not that. The Fae magic that you expelled.”
My blood turned cold from his words and the crystal crispiness tone that he used. So much so, that I could feel it drain from my face.
“That beacon was enough to signal to every Fae in existence that there is a royal in this realm.”
“That wasn’t my fault,” I whispered.
The anger gleamed brighter behind his golden eyes. “I am aware, but regardless, the Fae will be coming here to find out who caused that magic overload.”
“Is that why Ajax was here?”
He gave a slight nod. "I needed a different type of magic to mask the ward. Your uncle will be coming. I am trying to hide you from him and others as much as possible. When they come, I will take responsibility, but I cannot promise that they will believe me. You, being here at Underhill, helps. I can protect you. So I need you and Sera to move in here.”
“What about the challenge?”
He gave a dismissive look and held up his hand. “You will pass that.”
“My school? Any other obligations that might come my way?”
His lips thinned, and his words were clipped. “We will cross that bridge when we come to it. But for the moment, I need you protected here.”
I clapped my hands on my thighs and prepared to stand up. "Well, if that's all."
Finn gently grabbed my upper arm, his fingers still icy from magic and his emotions. “Please take Zane and Anahita, and grabbed some of your stuff.”
I pulled away from him without any force and without a word. I was prepared to listen to him and follow his instructions. But I hadn’t gone very far from the family room, and Anahita and Zane were already waiting for me, facing each other as if they were in conversation. Zane had a set of keys dangling from a hand.
I didn’t think Finn had even been out of his room at all to talk with anyone, so Anahita and Zane had to have used their vampire hearing and speed to be ready for me, which meant that privacy in Underhill was going to be an issue. It hadn't really mattered until now when I was going to be living with my sister, a Fae, and two vampires. I could say goodbye to any future gossip sessions.
It was also annoying how quick in getting ready they were. Both were dressed from head to toe in battle-geared leather, leaning against the door. Looking at all those buckles, it would definitely take me at least fifteen minutes to get half dressed in all that. Or perhaps they had already started getting ready after my training session with Anahita, and they were expecting trouble as my time toward the challenge was coming unavoidably closer.
I looked down at myself, wearing a jersey t-shirt and loose leggings. I was definitely not battle ready.
I raised my eyebrows and opened my mouth.
“Caden, let’s just go,” Zane remarked, not looking at me.
“We’ve got this,” Anahita responded.
✽✽✽
With my tennis shoes on and my heavy jacket, I found myself sitting in the back seat of a larger SUV as Zane drove toward my house. We weren't taking the chance of walking; also, we couldn't bring as much back with just our arms.
There was no lightness in the car. Neither Zane nor Anahita had muttered or said much of anything since telling me that we had to go. It was just assumed that I would follow, which I did, and that we would sit in silence on the way there, which we did.
Zane was so closed off that I was starting to wonder if I had hurt his feelings earlier by dismissing him. His coldness was abrupt and heavy. Anahita was even fidgeting in her seat. I just kept clasping my hands and releasing them while staring out the window. I currently didn’t feel bothered by his aloofness.
Night had descended upon Erie the past three days and hadn’t let up. If I had the time to watch the news or pay close attention to the human world, I might have wondered if others were thinking it was the end of days. Or what phenomenon was occurring, that couldn't be explained. Or even how far this darkness covered. Were we in a bubble that once outside of the city line, the world still existed as if nothing had happened? Or did this impact the world as a whole?
Through my musings, I saw an amber light in the distance. It was foggy, and I couldn't see any clarity for the cause of the amber light. Almost like smoke was blocking it.
My heart raced for the first time all day, and I moved to the middle of the back seat bench.
“Zane, drive faster!” I thumped my hands on their seats. The fear hidden behind Meredith’s spell rose up my throat. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence that there were signs of a fire in the direction of my house. It didn’t feel like Zane was moving fast enough, so I opened the door. To which, of course, he slammed on the brakes. And after the momentary jolt, I hopped out of the vehicle.
I couldn’t run down the street fast enough, I felt. It was like I was wading through molasses as
I tried to race down the road. I didn’t hear Zane or Anahita jump out of the car, but they were soon next to me. I knew they could have run faster, but they stayed by my side.
They stayed even as I finally broke down on my knees in front of my house that was currently burning in front of my eyes when I had finally reached my destination. It had been on fire for a while. Parts of it were nothing but pieces of charcoal on the ground, while other parts were roaring with hot flames. It was hot and loud with its’ crackling blaze.
My hands were on my knees and tears streamed down my face as my heart broke and my human life went up in flames.
"How could no one else see this?" I cried, looking up at Zane pleadingly who was already on the phone.
“Magic,” a familiar voice off to the side responded.
I looked up to see Ajax standing by nonchalantly, staring at the inferno. And before I could even question him, Zane had dropped the phone and had Ajax up by the collar of his jacket again.
“Was this your doing?” Zane snarled, showing his vicious fangs.
Instead of Ajax looking frightened, he snarled back, and his skin sparked with green magic. "Do you think if it were me I would stick around?"
Zane tightened his grip.
“Let him go,” I rasped, looking away from them and back toward my burning house. I heard Zane growl and then the thud of Ajax once again being dropped to the ground.
When I closed my eyes, I could feel what Ajax was talking about. I felt the remnants of a magical guise surrounding our house and the property line. It didn’t feel like Fae magic, I was getting accustomed to knowing what that was like. It also didn’t have the earthy feel of Ajax’ magic. I fingered through the grass, trying to get a feel for what type of magic was lingering around my burning house.
“It feels false or forced,” I stated, watching my house burn and feeling grateful for the anger that was burning in my heart. It meant that Meredith’s potion had almost worn off.
“It’s a mage or warlock,” Ajax responded. “It’s not a natural magic. And will disappear as soon as the fire has burned the house completely down.”
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