Heartbreak
I sit up straight, panting and sweating. Evan feels my distress and quickly wakes up. “Scar? What’s wrong?” He asks, with his groggy voice. “I think…I think I just had another vision,” I say. With my heart beating a thousand times a minute, I slowly lift the blanket from my feet, and the ace bandages are still there. “Or maybe not,” I whisper. Evan rapidly moves to the bottom of the bed, where my injured feet lay. “What happened, love?” He says gravely. The menacing look on his face slightly causing me to cringe. “Please. Tell me.” He repeats through clenched teeth, taking a few deep breaths.
“Um, I woke up so thirsty and got up to get some water. When I closed the fridge, I was in a different kitchen. I tried to look around for a way out, but someone started singing. And I was hypnotized. I drank something really strong during the trance, but someone kept yelling out your name in my head, and I broke out of the cast. When I realized the situation, the glass fell out of my hand, and I stepped on the shards trying to back away,” I told him quietly. “Who?” Evan asks with his eyes closed. I can see his jaw muscles tightening, and I know he is on the verge of exploding. “Julian,” I whisper. Evan stands and paces the room. “Did he touch you?” He asks sternly.
“No. Well, only to patch my feet up. And he carried me to his bed to do it,” I mumble. Looking away from his now pale face. “I'm going to kill him,” he announces. He then comes over to the bed and gently removes the bandages that Julian wrapped my feet in. When he sees the cuts on my feet, he curses under his breath and snaps his fingers. A small bottle filled with a light brown balm appears in his hand. “This is going to sting for a second, okay?” He warns me. He dips his fingers in the mixture and rubs it on the bottom of my feet, covering each and every cut. I groan as the pain hits me. But, like he said, it only lasted a moment, and a cool and refreshing feeling replaced the stinging pain. Evan examines my feet and sits on the bed next to me, satisfied with the healing. And I lift my feet to inspect his work. They’re completely healed and right back to the soft smoothness that they were before. “What was that?” I ask, amazed. “A family recipe to heal cuts,” he answers quickly. “What else happened?” He asks, a little calmer now.
I clear my throat, hesitant to keep going. Afraid to anger him more, I debate whether I should tell him everything that happened. Then I think about how upset I would be if I learned that he kept something like that from me. So I decide to tell him the truth. I tell him about Julian's request. I tell him about Julian's humming and the effect it had on me. And I told him about Julian's warning. “Damn it!” He says, growing angry again. He gets his phone and dials a number. “Luke, I need you and Derek to stay at Syracuse to locate Julian. If you find him, bring him to me before you bring him to the Elders,” Evan says.
He hangs up the phone and dials another number. “Belle, tell Ava that Scarlet just dream walked with Julian and that he threatened her. There is a new party involved, also.” He pauses, “Yes, I agree. See you soon.” He hangs up again and takes my hands in his. “Did he say anything else, love?” He asks, concerned. I shake my head sadly, realizing I might not get to see my roommates today. “We’re going to Eden?” I ask, afraid to hear the answer. He responds by shaking his head. “No, love. I'm going. With Owen and Oliver. Ava thinks the three of us could find and interrogate Julian ourselves. She knows you have plans today, so she suggested the girls stay with you during your visit to your sister’s. Is that okay?” He says, making me feel better. “Yes. Are you sure you're okay with that?” I respond.
He nods his head. “I know you’ll be safe. You'll be around a bunch of powerful women.” He tries to lighten the mood, but I can tell he is still holding that anger inside without release, and it’s making him suffer. I move to sit on his lap and kiss him until I can see the light come back into his eyes. “I am so deeply and intensely in love with you, Scarlet Winter,” he admits, with a passionate embrace. “As am I with you, Evan. And I can’t wait to be Mrs. White,” I reply.
Burying my face in his warm neck, the smell of apples hits me causing me to snuggle in deeper. He moans and holds me until there is a knock on the door. “Must be the coven. I should only be gone three or four hours, so try not to get into too much trouble. I can already see Mack and Victoria are going to be a crazy mix,” he says playfully. Back to his sweet, normal self. I smile, knowing he’s right. We get up and magically get dressed then walk out to the living room and see the casters of our Light Coven waiting for us. They look like a strong and lethal group, and I suddenly get a sense of pride to be a part of it. Owen must see it on my face because he winks at me. I shake my head and laugh at his silliness.
“All right, let’s go,” Evan says to the two men. They stand right up and walk to Evan’s side. He gives me one more kiss and leaves. “Are we leaving right away? Or can we stay for some coffee?” Chloe asks with desperation in her tone. I smile, feeling her pain. “We can definitely stay for coffee,” I answer, as I get up to start a pot. While we wait for the coffee to brew I tell the girls about my roommates. Slightly preparing them for Mack’s outgoing personality and Charlie’s fierce one.
“Charlie sounds like my kind of girl,” Victoria says. I snicker. “Evan actually thinks you and Mack are going to hit it off. He’s afraid of the damage you two could get in together,” I say, amused at her comical facial expressions. “We will see,” she replies. The coffee finishes, and I begin to prepare my cup the way I like it. After the girls mix in their choice of flavors and sweetness, we laugh when Chloe’s stomach rumbles. “I'm going to go to our suite to get the rest of the breakfast that was left over. There’s a bunch of donuts and croissants,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows. She runs quickly, so she can come back sooner.
My phone vibrates and I flip it over to see what the notification is. “I'm going to use the ladies room. Be right back,” Victoria says, skipping down the hall. But I barely heard her, as I was too busy panicking about the text message that I just received.
Mackenzie: @ the cave. Come alone or one of your roommates will die.
I feel my cheeks flush, and my head pulse with dizziness. And without thinking, I close my eyes and transport myself outside of the Village. I know how dangerous this is, but I can’t risk losing one of my roommates. With my angel speed, I get to the portal in seconds and walk into the elevator and focus on the portal by my dad’s house. Instantly the door dings and opens to the alleyway down the block. With my heart beating on overdrive, I get to the park’s entrance in no time. I’ve never taken Mack or Charlie to the cave, so neither of them would know the way. I pace back and forth, trying to come up with a viable plan. I have no idea who has my roommates or if there is more than one caster holding them hostage.
Maybe I can use my angel speed to assess the situation. I snap my fingers and summon the gear that was gifted to us by the Elders. I straighten my back and run through the forest, staying in the thickness of the trees instead of the paved cement. The rustle of leaves under my feet is scarce, as I see the entrance to my cave and stop short when I see six figures in the area behind. There are two men who have my roommates kneeling at their sides. There is a man lying in the ground and a woman pacing the area in front of them, awaiting my arrival. Oh, my Ava! Momentarily stunned, I stand there frozen, looking at the woman who was in my nightmares, in my visions. Her long dark hair falls in waves down to her waist. I know it’s the same woman because I have only ever seen the back of her. The woman pivots her feet and turns my way, displaying her identity. I gasp in utter shock when I recognize who the woman is, Lenora.
A whole new anger fills my body as I think of all the brutal things I want to do to her. I knew something was wrong about her. We all did! I let the anger take over, and I run as fast as I can towards my roommates. Only, when I reach the area where they all stand, I crash into the ground next to the unmoving body. I grunt with pain as I attempt to stand back up. “There will be no use of that angel magic here,” Lenora says, as she shamelessly walks towards m
e. “What the hell is going on? Where is my uncle? Leave my roommates out of this,” I say, sounding stronger than I feel. When Lenora does nothing but menacingly laugh, I close my eyes, and I search for my power. But I can’t find it. I begin to panic as I realize I can’t cast. Lenora's laughter gets louder as she watches my confused hysteria.
“Silly girl. Do you really think I’d let you keep your power during your abduction?” She says ruthlessly. “As for that annoying uncle of yours, I had no more use for him. All I needed was the one meeting with you to get a strand of your hair to complete my mission. That’s him, right there. He’s a fighter that one. He’s still alive after all of that frying and casting I did to his mind. He was too easy to manipulate. There’s so much love in him. And yet, he couldn't fight the casts. Not like you, Scarlet.” She says my name, slithering the S like the serpent that she is.
“Julian told me about your little visit last night. Talk about a flawless plan. He knew you would break the cast, and he knew you would break the glass. We only needed you to take a sip of the elixir we made and a drop of your blood to cast your powers, and your angelic abilities away. Clumsy you.” She cruelly spits at me. My eyes fall to the still body laying only a few inches away from me. I can see that he is still breathing, but it is labored. Tears cascade down my face as I look at my uncle’s hollow and ill-looking body. “What do you want from me?” I growl at her. She cackles, amused with my outburst. “Oh, no, no, no. There will be no disrespecting me,” she says, snapping her fingers. The man holding Mack pulls at her hair, causing her to shout in pain. The man brings his wand up to Mack's neck and sends a bolt of light down her spine. With a silent shriek, I watch my roommate fall to the ground.
“No!” I shout. I stand and attempt to run over to her side. But Lenora snaps her fingers, casting me back to my place on the ground next to Dimitri. “Oh, don't be so dramatic. She only fainted. Poor mortal couldn't handle not even one bolt of lightning in her puny mundane cells. She’ll wake soon. Not that I care,” she says, nonchalantly. Clapping her hands, she transports us all inside of my cave. “There. Much better. We don’t need to bring any attention of our presence to anyone, now, do we? I must say, that protection cast you had on this place was pretty strong and nearly impossible to break. But all it took was a sacrifice. Thankfully mortal college girls are easy to manipulate, or Julian would never have gotten her to commit suicide.” She says, admiring my cave.
Dimitri and I sit against the wall by the futon, and my roommates are across the room by the wooden door. I place my hand on Dimitri's and quickly retract it, when I feel the coldness enveloping his normally warm skin. Fresh tears fill my eyes as I try to send him a mental message, unsuccessfully, of course. “Why don't you just tell me what you want from me so you can leave my family and friends alone?” I demand. Lenora rapidly strides forward and grabs my hair in her tight fist. “Isn't it obvious? I want you dead,” she exclaims. I feel myself tremble as I listen to her death threat.
“That was our first plan. Kill you to get to the other Elders, so we can kill them and take over the caster world. But then, when Vincent heard of your angel Mark, he just had to have more. He summoned a message to a group of fallen angels that he met a long, long time ago. And let me tell you, what they are willing to pay us to bring you to them alive is much more than any of us ever thought we would want or ever have. You see, Vincent is on his way right now. He wants to deliver you himself to the fallen ones. He is so proud of his little sister for capturing the chosen caster. And if you think I'm evil? Wait until you meet him. You're going to wish that I did kill you.”
She has a devilish smirk, as she looks into my eyes, looking for any sign of fear from what she just said to me. Unblinking and huffing with anger, I look right back at her. And seeing that I won’t back down, she let’s go of my hair and takes a step back. Afraid to show any sign of weakness, I straighten my back, and I square my shoulders. “I'm not scared of you or your psychopathic brother. Evan will find me. And he will kill you, your brother, and your little gang of misfits,” I threaten, with truth in my words.
A new sense of courage and confidence fills me inside, as I contemplate a course of action to get us out of this mess. Mack begins to twitch, as she regains consciousness. And I stare into her eyes as she begins to stir and wake. She sees me instantly. And with a single nod, Mack and I come to an understanding. We have got to get out of here. Unsure of what our plan is, but ready to act, I prepare myself for whatever is going to come our way. Mack, acting as if she still is out of it, sits on her butt with her feet under her, ready to bolt. Immediately she springs forward, throwing her body at both of the casters holding them hostage, and she hits them in the back of their knees, knocking them down. I take the moment to run towards a now distracted Lenora and tackle her from behind, crossing my ankles in front of me and squeezing her in place. She falls to the ground with a grunt, and my roommates take the moment to run.
Charlie, thankfully, makes it out of the door, but Mack doesn't even reach the open doorway. The caster that was holding her in place before holds out his wand towards Mack. I see her limp body slump to the floor as the casters attempt to regain their composures. They disregard Lenora, who is struggling to wiggle out of my chokehold. I grab her hair and slam her head down into the ground, knocking her out. Wishing I did more to her than just knocking her unconscious. When I see the trickle of blood drip down her forehead, I smile and quietly place her head down. I run and sneak out of the door while the two idiot casters help each other. Charlie stands at the end with her arms still bound in front of her. “Charlie, why are you still here? Go!” I shout, almost to her side.
“I wasn't going to leave you guys behind. Where’s Mack?” She asks. “They caught her. She fainted again. You get out of here and call the guys. I’ll stay close behind to watch Mack and Dimitri.” I begin to tell her, slowing down my pace the last few feet. Suddenly a man walks into the entrance of my cave. He has a blood red hooded cape on, hiding his features from us. He snaps his fingers and a long spear-pointed blade appears in his hand.
Without a second to react, he forcefully enters the blade through my best friend’s chest. She stares at me with blood running down from the side of her mouth, wide eyed and pale and she falls to her knees. As her blood escapes her lips, so does the beautiful soul that once filled her body. I watch my roommate’s eyes go lifeless as I see her take her last breath. I quiver with immense heartbreak and numbness fills every inch of my body. I fall to my knees, sobbing, with a painful madness in my heart. I don't even notice the man walking up to me to punch me into unconsciousness, just like he did in my vision. Charlie was the bleeding woman in the vision that I had and is now being fulfilled exactly as I saw it. Lenora is the woman who is going to bury me alive. I devastatingly accept my fate, as I watch my eyelids fall closed.
***
Waking up, the darkness of the night and the brightness of the moon were unsettling. The last time I was awake, it was still early in the morning. How long have I been here? Where is here? I cough from the dryness in my throat and feel the cracking of my lips with the tip of my dry tongue. I groan as I attempt to move. My back and my entire bottom half in pain from being in the same position for so many hours. But I don't care. I have to get out of here. I try to stand but fall back down. I silently cry as I see the shackles on my ankles and the invisible bindings holding my wrists together.
I slam my head back against the wall, as I come to the realization of the occurrence of my very first vision. Now I know why I was so heartbroken. Charlie is gone. She died right before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do to help her. I whimper in heartbreak, as I think of how special she was. She was intelligent, and she was in love. She was going to be someone, a sliver of light in this dark, unforgiving world, and now she’s gone because of me. If she never met me, she would still be alive, damn it! Aside from the tears bringing some moisture back into my lips, it did nothing else to help my situation. I have to get out of here. I h
ave to help Dimitri and Mack, if they're still alive.
I begin to panic again and I try to use the little energy that I have to try and escape this hellhole that I'm in. I attempt to stand again, but the ground begins to tremble. I fall to my side and roll down a hill. When I come to a stop, twigs and branches with thorns poked in and out of my skin. They begin to get soaked, as my blood bubbles around them. But not even the pain can compare to the devastation that’s in my heart.
The sound of a clap echoes in the cliffside forest. My head scrapes the dirty ground as I turn it in the direction of the noise and instantly recognize Lenora. She lets out a high pitch laugh and saunters over to my side. “Stupid angel!” She says, kicking me in my stomach. I curl in pain, as I hear her sinister voice mock me. “You thought you were strong? You think you're a caster? You are nothing but a weak mortal with unique blood. I don't care if the fallen want you, and I don't care how much they're offering. I want you dead! Do you hear me? Dead!” She screams in my face. In too much pain to move, I don't even try to lift my head. Lenora chants something in her native language, and I feel the ground begin to tremble again. I look up at the moon, and I try with all my might to gather some power for one single message.
“Evan, I love you with all of my heart. Thank you for everything, my love.” I doubt the message got to him, but it was worth a try. I had to let Evan know my last thoughts were of him. As I lay on my back, I watch the moon get further away, and the ground beneath me begins to cascade around me. I end up six feet deep in the ground. I'm too exhausted and heartbroken to try and get up, so I lay there in painful silence. I watch the moon disappear from my sight as the dirt begins to fill the space I'm in. I close my eyes to let death take me away. I'm not sure if it’s my life coming to an end or my mind playing one last cruel trick on me, but I feel electric tingles invade my spine, and my eyes shoot open. I blamed it on the hysteria of dying.
Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1) Page 43
