Caged in Darkness

by J. D. Stroube

  “Jeez, it’s like an iceberg in here! You need to lighten up, princess. I’m just teasing you.”

  There was that smile again. That arrogant smile he seemed to think would make everyone bow to his superiority. He was infuriating.

  “If you don’t stop calling me princess this car isn’t going anywhere.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in the seat with the car keys clenched tightly in my fist.

  Liam threw up his hands in mock defeat. “Okay, okay! You win, Savannah.”

  When he said my name, his voice deepened to a seductive huskiness that made me shiver. I suddenly wished he would go back to calling me princess. I could deal with irritation, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself because my body was seduced by the tone of his voice. Seriously, I thought that only happened in the movies. I was not one of those girls. Was I?

  “Whatever.” Then engine roared to life. “Where do you live?”

  7: Witchlings

  Liam’s apartment wasn’t what I expected. From his car, I thought his apartment would be closer to a luxury condominium, but it was more of a modern bachelor pad. Ordinarily, I would not follow an infuriating male I barely knew into his apartment, but I felt compelled to see to his injuries. Maye would have been disappointed if I dropped Liam off without being completely sure he was taken care of. After all, being part of a family meant that you were partially responsible for their actions.

  Witches rarely kept similar first aid kits to ordinary people, but Liam produced one from his bathroom. That surprised me. I would have offered to perform what little healing I could, but with my powers in turmoil he was better off with the first aid kit. Throughout the drive Liam continued to bait me with his remarks, which bothered me until I realized that his teasing was flirting. Flirting was a new concept to me. I tended to give people the cold shoulder and it made people keep their distance. In Liam’s case, he seemed to be enjoying my annoyance and found my icy personality to be amusing.

  “Why do you have a first aid kit if you are a witch?” He winced as I applied the hydrogen peroxide to his split eyebrow, and then lifted one side of his mouth to smile.

  “Is there a problem with owning a kit?”

  “No, it’s just unusual. Wouldn’t it just be easier to have another witch heal you?” I leaned in to blow on his cut to soothe the pain.

  “Do you see any other witches that live with me?” He mockingly glanced around. “It’s just easier to take care of my injuries myself, rather than going to my coven whenever I get a scrape.”

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense, but why don’t you live with your coven?” A coven was like a family, but with ties that exist on a higher plane. I couldn’t imagine leaving the Meadow Falls coven.

  “My coven isn’t like yours. My mother is the high priestess and she is more concerned with politics than she is with personal relations.”

  LIAM

  Savannah patched me up and listened to my stories about the members of my coven. It didn’t take long for me to realize that she wasn’t like the women I knew. Whenever I tried to tease her she pulled away. Her company was enjoyable in an awkward way. She didn’t like to be touched, but had no issues with initiating the touching. She liked to be in control and seemed unused to attention. In the car she was frigid towards me, but that changed once I started talking to her as a friend. Our conversation went from forced to natural.

  I managed to convince her to stay for dinner and I cooked a stir fry. She seemed genuinely surprised that I knew how to cook. I managed to find some left over ice cream for dessert. I told her that my coven was a dark one and she looked at me in horror with her mouth paused halfway through eating.

  “I think I better leave.” Her spoon dropped to the bowl and she stood quickly almost toppling over her chair in the process.

  “What’s wrong?” My hand wrapped around her upper arm. I watched as her skin blazed to burn my hand. I tore it away to find blisters spreading across my palm. Her skin faded from a fiery color to her natural ivory tone.

  “Don’t touch me.” Her eyes were wild. “I don’t like your kind. To think, I was starting to second guess my first impressions of you! I’m leaving now.” She grasped the door handle and pulled, but it didn’t budge. Shaking it some more she grew frustrated turning to stare at me, as if blaming me for the door being stuck.

  “The door is warped. It gets stuck sometimes. What do you mean by my kind?”

  After an exasperated sound escaped her lips, she turned to face me with her arms crossed. “I mean a witch like my parents. A witch who practices the dark arts.”

  Silence echoed off the walls, while I processed her prejudiced comment. I knew about her parents. Everyone in my coven knew about them. There were dark witches and then there were dark witches. Savannah’s parents were the worst sort. I would rather be torn to pieces by a pack of wolves than been a victim of theirs.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m not a witch like your parents. I may practice the dark arts, but I am not into killing and torturing.”

  When silence met my comment, I continued. “Look, you know about dark and light witches, right?” She nodded. “Okay, well I am a dark witch, but that means that I am fine with using magic for personal gain. More importantly, I believe in using my magic as protection in a fight. If some jerk attacks me, I believe that it’s fine to tap into my gift to protect myself. White witches won’t perform magic that would harm someone even if it means that they die. It’s a matter of personal preference. Your parents on the other hand, were technically dark witches. However, my coven did not condone their actions any more than yours did.”

  “What do you mean my parents were a different type of dark witch?” The anger had evaporated and now Savannah looked confused.

  “Take ordinary humans for example. If a saint were a witch, they would practice the whitest shade of magic. If murderers were witches, they would practice magic so dark that it would literally be the absence of color. Then there are ordinary people. Some lie, some cheat, others just go through their day and try not to hurt anyone. Those people would be white and black witches, but on the spectrum of color they would be different shades of gray.”

  “So what you’re saying is that you are a darker gray than me?” Her brows crinkled and she relaxed against the door.

  “Yes. I’m not like your parents, okay?” I moved forward to brace my arms on either side of her. She tried to avoid my stare.

  “Sorry I burned you. I’m close to my ascension. It happened without me trying to.” She grabbed my hand to examine it and looked up with tears in her eyes. “I don’t like to hurt anyone. I…I don’t want to be like them, ever.” Her hair fell into her face, as she bent to kiss my palm. When she looked up she seemed embarrassed.

  “Hurting me on accident does not make you like your parents. Sometimes accidents happen and with you this close to your ascension it’s natural.” I smoothed my thumb across her lower lip and it quivered in response. Her pupils widened. “I admire you for turning out the way you have. Had they been my parents I don’t know if I would have had the strength to fight.”

  “Ash and Maye are the only reason I’m not like my parents, if it wasn’t for them…” My pointer finger pressed against her lips to silence her.

  “Ash and Maye gave you a choice. What you did with your choice was entirely up to you.” I whispered the last word into her ear.

  The feeling from earlier was back again. It was like a pressure building in the pit of my stomach, pushing me to merge with her. Her body language changed suddenly and I knew she could feel it too. The air around are bodies was charged like electricity and I could see our auras merge to blend together. Our senses heightened to an almost painful intensity until I touched her again. With our skin touching the pain gave way to waves of pure ecstasy. I leaned in to graze my lips against the tip of her nose and her breathing changed to a slight whimper. Her hands touched my abs and moved upwards to grasp the fabric of my shirt that lay over my chest. She pulled me closer.

/>   Her face tipped up and I captured her lips. Her body relaxed into mine and she pulled my neck down for better access to my lips. She was inexperienced, but she kissed with a fervor that made up for that. Her lips parted and I took the chance to slip my tongue into her mouth. She gasped at the invasion, but when I kissed her more gently she began to hesitantly explore my mouth. Her tongue twisted around mine in a dance of wills and we eventually settled into a rhythm that was both hungry and sensual.

  ASH

  I rode home with Griffin instead of Izzy and Willow. Griffin kept quiet the whole ride and dropped me off on the street in front of the house. At first, I tried to pretend I wasn’t waiting for Savannah to walk through the front door. After checking the driveway for the millionth time, I had to admit it to myself. Now, I sat in the living room with the lights low and a book in my lap.

  I wasn’t angry anymore. Honestly, I don’t know why I lost my temper earlier. Savannah had been right, I should trust her. My instincts came alive when I saw him watching her. It was primal and an emotion I never felt before now. I was ashamed that I didn’t fight it and worried that Savannah wouldn’t forgive me.

  Where was she? I thought she was going to take Liam to his place and then come straight home, but it was approaching midnight. My throat felt tight and I worried that I may have driven her to trust the wrong guy. There was something wrong with Liam. I hadn’t lied when I told her that. Now, I couldn’t stop imagining all the horrible scenarios that Savannah may be placed in.

  When I wasn’t worrying over Liam harming her, I was torturing myself with what other activities they might be up to. I never had to worry about Savannah with guys. She wasn’t interested and they naturally sensed that enough to stay away from her. She had been different tonight. Maybe it was her ascension drawing near, but it could have been him.

  Lights flashed in the driveway to reveal a black mustang pulling in. A closer inspection revealed that Liam was driving. I pushed my anger back at the memory of Savannah saying she wouldn’t let Liam drive and forced myself to be calm. I desperately wanted to watch out the window until Savannah was safely inside. However, if she realized I was spying on her it would serve as more proof that I didn’t trust her.

  I walked to the entryway between the hallway and the living room to wait for Savannah. I knew Liam walked her to the door, because I could hear faint voices through it. My impatience was growing, but I forced myself to take a casual stance against the wall until she was inside. Savannah was transformed by the smile that stretched across her face, but it made me uneasy. She turned away from me to climb the stairs.

  “Hey.” Her back tensed at my voice, but she turned to face me with her hand clenched around the railing.

  “Is there something you need?”

  “I’m sorry. There is no excuse for the way I acted earlier. I was a jerk and I hope that you won’t hold it against me. I may have misgivings about Liam, but I should have handled it differently.”

  She looked at me from the third step of the staircase and smiled hesitantly. “I’m still upset with you, but I’ll come around. I do expect you to apologize to Liam too.”

  “I take it that means you are seeing him again?” I didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Yes, I think I am.” She smiled and turned to go upstairs. I followed closely behind. My mind was working at a face pace to process, what it would mean if she saw Liam again and how I would react to it. The idea of her dating him made me queasy.

  Savannah stopped at the entrance to her room and leaned against the door. “You want to come in? We could watch a movie? We haven’t done that in a while.”

  There was a very good reason why we hadn’t done that in a while. Lying on her bed watching a movie was not easy for me. After tonight, I didn’t think it would be a good idea to refuse. I could use as many points with her as possible.

  “Yea, sounds like a good idea. No girlie movies, okay?”

  “Ha! After tonight, I get to pick the movie. I’m thinking Titanic or Ever After…”

  I groaned. Three hours of Titanic was not appealing and Ever After wasn’t much better.

  “Mmmm, I’m not sure I could withstand the pain of watching either of those.” I feigned a yawn, “I’m suddenly exhausted.” Savannah playfully punched my arm.

  “Okay, how about a romantic comedy?” I nodded and followed her into the bedroom. She put on Made of Honor and we curled up on her bed. Her head tucked into the crook of my arm and we relaxed into a familiar routine.

  She fell asleep on my chest halfway through the movie, while I lay awake tempted by the scent of her lingering perfume. When the movie reached the last ten minutes, she startled herself awake. Sitting up she turned to glance around the room with a confused expression on her face. Her eyes lit on me and I was entranced by the expression that crossed her features.

  “Ash…” The voice that escaped did not sound like my Savannah. She sounded like the frightened little girl she used to be. It was the sound of the lost child, who didn’t believe anyone could love her. Her eyes widened and her voice pleaded, “Ash…” I couldn’t bear the pain that emanated from her. It wasn’t merely her voice or appearance; I could feel her aura calling out for me to heal her. She was back in that metal cage being forced to witness her parents sacrifice innocent after innocent. I could hear her longing, her profound need to be saved. “Ash, please…”

  Her hand reached for me, while her eyes remained locked in her mental prison. I circled her wrists with my hands and pulled her to me. I meant to wrap her body with my own and offer warmth, but when I cradled her to me her cheek pressed against mine.

  Her hand gripped my skin hard enough to bruise me. It was painful, but not nearly as much as what she was enduring. Every night since she came to live with us, I watched her be torn from the inside out. Her demons ate away at her every day. This was different. Lately, her nightmares had worsened and I didn’t know how to banish them. I wanted to keep her safe, but I didn’t know how to save her from herself.

  Her tears moistened my cheeks and my heart broke at the contact. Something snapped in me then. My chest tore in two and I bridged a feeling that until now had been barricaded by as many shields as I could muster. I took her face in my hands and kissed her with the passion of a lifetime. Everything I ever felt for her was in that kiss. My need to protect her, my amazement at her respect for every living being, my love… I couldn’t convey enough, but I tried. None of my emotions could overcome the amazement at the response I received. She kissed me back.

  Savannah

  I was restless. I fell asleep before the movie ended and woke up to a cold bed. Ash was nowhere to be seen and the window onto the terrace was wide open. I shivered and climbed out of bed to close it. My bare feet touched the floor and I felt something soft catch between my toes. I lifted my foot to find a large black feather. I massaged it between my thumb and finger, trying to figure out how it ended up in my room. Shrugging, I threw it into the trash.

  The window was stuck, but it eventually gave way and allowed me to shut out the cold. The night was beautiful. The stars were more visible than usual and the moon was full. I sighed at the beauty and turned to go back to sleep. The moon shone through the glass to light up the room, but left a corner that drew the darkness from the surrounding area to create a pit.

  The shadow straightened and moved to create the shape of a man, which was frightening enough. Then the wings spread to reveal the thing from the secret passage. A silent scream caught in my throat. I wanted to run, but then I thought of Ash and Maye. I couldn’t allow this shadow to harm them. I backed away until I hit the window. I quickly opened it to climb onto the terrace. It followed.

  I ran to the edge, but was stopped by the balustrade. I leaned over to see how far it would be if I jumped, but when I tried hands pulled me back. I fought to escape. My fingers clenched and I moved to claw its eyes out.

  “S, calm down! I’m not going to hurt you!”

  Tears fell before I could h
old them back and I curled into a tight ball. Ash knelt and held me as I let go of my fears in his arms. He smoothed my hair away from my face and sang to calm me.

  “I’m sorry.” I pushed the words out between fits of crying.

  “I know. I know.” Ash carried me back into my room and settled me on the bed. He tucked the covers around my body, but when he tried to leave I stopped him.

  “Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to be alone.” He nodded and settled back into his position from earlier that night. I drifted to sleep in his arms.

  The next morning I woke to a migraine and the smell of pancakes. On the table, beside the bed was a tray filled with a fresh breakfast. I smiled, knowing that Ash left it for me. Beside the glass of milk, I found some ibuprofen for my headache. I loved that he knew me so well. Only he would realize that I would have a migraine after nightmares.

  I thought about the kiss with Liam. I wasn’t sure why we had kissed. I hadn’t known him long enough to develop feelings for him, but when he kissed me it felt right. I couldn’t remember ever wanting to kiss anyone.

  Last night had been terrifying. I was used to nightmares, but I never had issues with sleep walking and wondered at the new development. I was lucky Ash caught me. I could have ended up with a broken neck. Sighing, I tackled my breakfast.

  I spent the rest of the morning resting in bed and doing homework. When I noticed that I had read the same paragraph several times over the past twenty minutes and still didn’t know what it was about, I pushed the textbook away from me.

  My notebook lay open next to me. I grabbed the pen and began to doodle. Thinking back to the secret passage and my waking nightmare from last night, I started to draw the thing and realized that I had drawn an angel with terrifying eyes and black wings. The thing resembled an angel, but with strange symbols across the skin and black wings. Next to the fallen angel was the box from the passage.