She stops in front of double doors and faces me. “Evan, I know I excluded you from this. And although I still want that, I will need you to keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear us summoning you, it’s only because it’s urgent. Continue your life as is, but be alert. You and your cousins need to be prepared in case you are needed here again. We have this under control now. Go find your cousins and head back to Syracuse. We’ll keep in touch. Thank you for defeating those demons. You fighters saved us all,” she finishes. And I'm utterly surprised. Should I stay and help? Or should I return to Scarlet and help her? Ava gives me a stern look, reading my hesitancy. She shoos me away, and I slowly walk out in search of my cousins. When I find them, I relay the message, and we say our goodbyes. My aunt and uncle join Rick and Dimitri's side, as they walk inside of the Elders’ mansion.
“That was intense. I can’t wait to get back home to shower and see Charlie,” Lucas says, as we walk to the portal. Derek snickers and teases him for being so in love. They bickered until we heard twigs snapping in the distance. Just ahead, right where the portal is, a Bison demon attempts to crawl into it. He jumps once and misses the hole. Then jumps again and misses. He tries for a third time, and this time he gets a hold of the edge. I'm the first to move, running towards the demon, so I can kill it before it reaches the mortal world. This one must have had a different mission, escaping while we were all busy killing the others. If it makes it through the portal, it will be in Syracuse, closer to Scarlet. The demon is almost out. Half of its body has disappeared into the mortal world. I run faster and hear a voice coming from the portal as I get closer.
“You must be insane! I can’t believe we came followin’ you out here!” A southern accent sounds through the portal. “You can go back home, Mack. I'm not leaving until I hear from Evan.” Scarlet’s soft, soothing voice stubbornly tells her roommate. Derek and I trade glances and run faster. “No. We’re staying with you. I believe her, Mack. If she says she has a bad feeling, we should probably listen to her.” Charlie says next. Lucas gasps and rushes forward, running faster than us, in attempt to get the demon first. We finally make it to the portal, and the demon’s foot disappears into the mortal world. We hear a loud, piercing scream the Luke shouts, “No!” He jumps and disappears into the portal, with me next then Derek.
“I got the girls,” Lucas says, as he runs over to stand in between them and the demon. Derek and I charge at it at the same time. He slides in between the demon’s legs and trips it, causing it to fall mere inches away from Lucas and the girls, who are all big-eyed and open-mouthed. I take the chance to slice the head off of the demon with one of my newly acquired katanas. The head rolls to Scarlet’s feet, and Mackenzie faints. Charlie steps back and vomits in the bushes with Lucas by her side helping her. Scarlet is trembling from head to toe. The demon’s body melts into the ground and disappears as I rush forward to hold Scarlet. Derek picks up Mack's limp body and carries her over to his car while Lucas walks slowly with Charlie by his side, and I stay back with Scarlet.
“Love? Are you okay? What were you doing here?” I gently ask her. “I, I, I, had a bad feeling, like you were hurt or in trouble. And it was so strong. I panicked and followed the feeling here. Mack and Charlie said I had a weird look in my eyes, so they got worried and came with me. Was that a dddemon?” She stutters her response. Could the Collegati really have led her to me? “I can’t believe you felt the danger we were in. That’s…fascinating,” I say. She is stronger than I thought. I have to figure something out, fast. “Scarlet, I need you to be honest with me, I can either erase this memory from your roommates’ minds, or we can tell them the truth. The choice is yours.”
I ask her because I know she’ll make the right decision. I have never told a mortal that I was a caster, neither has Derek and neither has Lucas. So this would be a first for us all. She finally makes up her mind, and the shivering completely stops. She looks me straight in the eyes. “Tell them. I don't like lying to them,” she decides. I nod once and gesture towards the parking lot. “Let’s go. The sooner, the better,” I say softly. We’re almost to the car when she speaks up. “Why were we able to see the demon, Evan? I thought mortals couldn't see demons,” she asks, with fear in her eyes. “The portal was in the lake that you saw there. You were all close enough to Eden to be able to see the demon. If it made it out of the parking lot, the invisibility would take hold, and you wouldn't be able to see it.” I explain as best as I can. I feel terrible. She looks mortified. They all do. This night could not get any worse.
Scarlet
If I didn't have to drive myself home, I would probably be immobile. Evan is driving in front of me by himself. And Derek is with his brother and my roommates. Poor Mack passed out. I don't blame her though. She was the only one out of all of us completely oblivious to that part of the world. Charlie, at least, has hundreds of books about this type of situation. I, for one, cannot believe that I saw a demon. I’ve never experienced anything close to that, and I didn't even know there were demons until Evan told me. Now I’ve seen one. It was disgusting, enormous, and it stunk. The way the guys expertly killed it, you could tell they’ve been fighting demons for a long time. What would have happened if Evan and his cousins weren't there to kill the demon and save us?
Right at this moment, I understood why dad was so adamant about Demi and I learning how to fight and defend ourselves. Growing up, every morning he woke us up at dawn to meditate and learn the “art of fighting.” I know I can fight. But I don't think I would have been able to fight that demon. At the same time, I would've tried, to protect my friends. But I don't know how far I would've gotten. Maybe I should brush up on my fighting skills and find a gym close to the south campus. Or I can have Evan help me. At this moment I decide to woman-up. If my own father and uncle have done this for hundreds of years, then it’s just something I have to accept, especially if Evan and I are going to be together. And yet, I'm pissed off that I was never told of this evil part of the caster world. Demi says it’s something you learn after you receive your power. But even so, they should’ve told me, for my protection at least. It would have been useful today.
I have to stay strong for my roommates. Charlie is going to know I lied to her about my family. And Mack is going to learn about a whole entire realm that she never knew existed. This is going to be one very long night. Evan and Derek pull into their own driveway, and I park in mine. It looks like Mack woke up, and she looks frantic. Charlie has her arm around Mack’s shoulders, to help her walk to our door. Derek runs up to her other side to help her, but Mack pushes him away. I unlock our door and hold it open for everyone to enter. Mack and Charlie are both on the couch, and they're sitting so close to each other, like they're afraid of something else happening. So I bend down to rest on my knees in front of them and gently ask, “Are you guys okay? Can I get you anything?” I'm concerned by the paleness in both of their skin colors.
“Water,” Mack croaks. I stand to get them both waters, but I hear someone snap their fingers. The girls gasp, and I spin around to see Derek, with two full glasses of ice water in his hands. I walk up to him, giving him the evil eye. As soon as I took the glasses out of his hands, Lucas smacks his brother in the back of the head. Derek simply shrugs his shoulders, completely oblivious. Evan grabs a chair from the dining room, and he brings it over to face the girls on the couch. This is the first time that I'm actually looking at him tonight. He looks exhausted. And I can swear I see a hint of fear in his eyes. I wonder what happened when he went to Eden.
“Mackenzie, Charlie, I know this is a lot to take in right now. But I need you two to take deep breaths.” He instructs them, but they still look alarmed. Remembering Demi gave me a gift for this exact moment, I run to my room. Quickly finding the perfume bottle, I run back out to my roommates and stand behind them, giving them each a spritz of the calming elixir. Charlie instantly stands up and faces me. “You're part of this, too, Scarlet? Is that the same perfume you sprayed on us the night we me
t them?” She accuses me. I knew she would find out, and I feel terrible. I sadly nod my head. “I'm supposed to be like them. But for some reason, it skipped me. My family, they're like the guys. Casters.” I explain.
“Casters?” Charlie says quietly, as she sits back down on the couch. “What the hell are casters?” Mack says, as she begins to chew on her nails. I walk to the kitchen as Evan starts the explaining. Grabbing the glass vase filled with Twizzlers, I take one and hold it in my mouth. Bringing the vase to my shaken friend, she eagerly takes a handful. Even Charlie took one. I take the seat next to her and lean back on the couch to listen to Evan describe, to their innocent minds, all of the fascinating things a caster can do. They look much more convinced and interested, now that they're getting answers. If only it was that easy for me. After 30 minutes of talking, the girls want a demonstration.
“So y’all are tellin’ me that y’all can make things appear, out of nowhere?” Mack excitedly asks the guys. Derek leans forward, closer to Mack. “Anything, baby,” he flirts. “Show me.” She taunts. And, of course, he falls for it. “What would you like?” He stumps her. But she quickly recovers, “Well, I don't know about y’all, but I could sure use a joint after a night like this,” she confidently says. Charlie and I chuckle, and Evan shakes his head with amusement clear on his face. “Honey, that’s one of my specialties,” Derek says cockily. He flicks his wrist, and right in the palm of Mack’s hands a thick, white joint appears. She gets momentarily alarmed and throws it across the room, and we all laugh as she quickly gets up to retrieve it. Lucas takes that chance to take the now empty seat next to his girlfriend. “What about you, Charlie? Would you like anything?” He asks her, as he gently pulls her into his side.
She hesitates for a moment but ends up bringing her feet up, to lean into him. “Well, there is this new book that I'm really excited for. But it doesn't come out for another month.” She begins, but Lucas cuts her off. “Is it the one you were telling me about the other day?” He asks, and she rapidly nods her head. He snaps his fingers, and the book appears on her lap. She squeals and stands to jog in place. “Oh, my God!” She celebrates and hugs it while Evan continues his discussion. “All right, yes, there are lots of beneficial things we can do with our power. But as you witnessed tonight, it’s not all pretty. Now that you two know about casters and our world, there is a process you must go through, so the caster world doesn't come in jeopardy in case one of you ever accidentally talk about it. It’s not painful. But it’s not comfortable, either.”
“I’ll do it.” Claims Charlie, immediately, who is still hugging tightly onto the book. Mack, who is now on Derek's lap, voices her choice, too. “Count me in!” Evan nods his head once. “Okay. We’ll leave after Mack gets out of work tomorrow. We can use that warehouse where the party was the other night,” he says, as he looks to his cousins. They nod in agreement, and Evan stands. “Guys, would you like to explain the process to the girls? I’d like to have a moment with Scarlet.” He takes my hand, and I lead him to my room.
When we get inside, he brings me to my bed and sits, pulling me in for a hug as I stay standing. He stays that way for five minutes before I break the silence. “It was that bad, huh?” I ask about his time in Eden. He nods his head against my breasts. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Again, he doesn't answer, only nods his head, causing me to giggle. I slightly push away until he’s looking at me. “And what would that be?” I ask him. He pulls me down onto the bed and kisses me passionately. When our lips get numb, we get under the blankets and face each other as Evan quietly recalls the terrible occurrences in Eden.
He told me about my father and the gifts he gave him. He gushed about fighting alongside him and Dimitri. Evan sadly told me about the death of a Marked caster, so much information. And I took it all in, in support. It wasn't until my eyes were drooping that I heard Evan chuckle. “It’s late, and I'm here keeping you awake with my war stories. I'm sorry, love. Have sweet dreams. We’ll talk tomorrow. Oh, one more thing. Will you go on a date with me on Saturday?” He sweetly asks. My eyes fly open, and I quickly nod my head. “Yes, of course.” He leans forward and gives me one last soft kiss. “Good night, my love” were the last words I heard before feeling my eyes slowly close.
Chapter 19
Food Fight Rhapsody
After falling asleep so peacefully with Evan, I didn't expect to have another frightening nightmare. It had that peculiar feel to it. I awoke in the middle of a cobblestone street.
The nighttime sky shines bright with its millions of stars. The moon itself is enough to illuminate the entire city. I hear someone whistling, so I tear my eyes away from the beautiful sight. When I spin around, I notice how narrow the street is. It reminds me of an alleyway. The buildings are all made of brick, and they're all connected. There are signs that stick out above the doors, but I can’t understand what they say. There isn't a soul out here, and it’s completely silent except for that whistle. I see a shadow, and I run in my bare feet to the closest building placing my back directly on the wall and plastering my body to it. Hello! Scarlet! You're in a dream! Why are you running away? Go and see who that is!
I quickly tiptoe towards the shadow and see a man with a guitar strapped to his back. I can smell the cigarette he’s smoking from where I am. Who is this guy, and why is he in my dream? He walks straight but then makes a right and stands in front of a tall black door. Fishing for keys in his denim pockets and with no success, he pulls his hands out. A guitar pick falls to the ground, landing a few inches from my feet. He doesn't notice. He checks in his jacket and finds what he is looking for. As soon as he opens the door, a woman yells from inside.
“E che si, J?” Her raspy voice coughs out, but I don't understand her. The guy steps inside and closes the door without looking back. I run to where the guitar pick is and bend down to retrieve it. As I put it in the palm of my hand, I notice the pick is blood red with the letter J scratched into it twice. That must be what the woman was asking. If it was J who was at the door? I walk up to it and try to read the sign.
“Scuro Luna.” The word Luna stands out to me because I took Spanish in high school. And I believe the name of the shop is “Dark Moon.” But I’m not sure. Who would name their shop that? I wonder what they sell. Should I go inside? It’s only a dream after all. My hand touches the knob, and the door swings open. A man stands on the other side of the house, staring directly at me. All I see is his silhouette. His body is shadowed by the light behind him. He doesn't move. He only stares. As I slowly take a few steps back, he snaps his fingers and a demon, like the one we encountered earlier, appears behind me. Remembering everything I learned in my dad and uncle’s gym, I quickly bend and escape from his oncoming grasp. Without looking back, I run as fast as I can in the opposite direction.
I hear the loud footsteps of the demon as it chases after me. I have no idea where I am or where I'm going, but I keep running. Then I run into an alleyway, so I can catch my breath and give my feet a moment of reprieve. But the demon appears on the other side of the alley, and it charges at me. I prepare to be ripped apart because I'm just too tired to run when, suddenly the guy with the guitar appears in front of me. He faces the demon and claps his hands. The word “Vai” is the last thing I hear before I get sucked out of the dream and back in my bed.
It feels like my stomach is being ripped out of my body. I scream in pain as Evan wakes alert and in a defensive stance, ready to fight with the swords my father gifted him in each hand. “Scarlet, love, what’s wrong?” He asks with concern. His voice extra deep from being startled awake. I'm in too much pain to respond to him, so I just take his hand and place it on my stomach. “May I?” He asks, but he doesn't give me a chance to answer. And I don't care. I want this feeling gone. Evan raises his hands above my stomach, and he closes his eyes, rapidly chanting words in a different language. Instantly the pain starts to subside, but I'm still afraid to move, so I just lay back and stare at the ceiling.
“Scar
, what happened? Are you okay?” H asks as he lifts me to my bed. I turn towards him and a tear escapes my eyes as I recall the demon that was about to capture me. Evan’s hand comes up to my face, and he gently wipes away the fallen tear. “Love?” He attempts again. “I had another nightmare,” I reply. I’m not sure how much I should tell him before he begins to think I'm crazy. “Will you tell me what it was about?” He softly asks me. He’s calmer now, but I can tell he’s still worried. I decide to tell him so maybe we can still get some sleep. I especially want him to get some rest after the night he had, fighting off all of those demons in Eden. Then I quickly tell him word for word then shrug my shoulders because now that I hear it coming out of my mouth. I definitely sound like a lunatic.
“Never mind. Let’s just go back to sleep.” I try to shrug it off. But the look in Evan’s eyes are completely serious. He sits up with his back against the headboard. “Scarlet, when you woke up in pain, I thought you did something you weren't supposed to be doing. And now I'm convinced you did. When new casters dream walk without proper training, they return in pain, like you did.” He looks down at me and continues. “And I believe you just dream walked.” The look of confusion must be evident in my face because he lays back down to explain his theory.
Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1) Page 17
