“Oh dear,” my mother said, putting her hand over her mouth. “No worries, it will all come to you. Your blood will remember.”
Rose gave my mother a weak smile as Adam came around and put his hands on her waist. My mother raised an eyebrow and looked at me, her lips thinning. I had a feeling I was about to have a question and answer session with my mother in the study.
“Ms. Peterson, I will show Rose to her room,” Adam said, grabbing Rose’s bags along with his and leading her inside the manor.
“What is going on?” my mother demanded, her lips pursed.
“She and Adam hit it off,” I shrugged. They hadn’t known what was going on in the first place, how could they be upset?
“I can tell that. However, he was vowed to you.” My mother looked at my dad like their plan hadn’t worked.
“What are you talking about?” I asked softly. I didn’t understand what they were saying.
“He is your Protector, not Rose’s,” my father corrected, looking toward the skies. “Leave it to an angel to get it wrong.”
“Oh please, Vetis, you know damn well Ramiel has no say in who the Protectors protect. He puts the power in their blood.” My mother smacked my father’s arm and laughed.
“Are we back to the biblical names?” I sighed, picking up my bags. I longed to go inside and rest before all the training began again.
“Sorry, dear. You weren’t here, and we fell on bad habits,” my mother apologized, winking at my father.
“Go ahead, take your stuff upstairs. We will call you when it’s time to start training,” my father said, pushing me up the walkway toward the house.
“Thanks,” I said as I walked through the door and the floral scent of the foyer hit me. I was indeed home.
I walked up the stairs and threw my bags on my double bed before collapsing face first right next to them. I didn’t want to unpack, but I knew I had no choice. Mona had been upset that I was leaving again after only being there a few days. She said she would keep the apartment attended to while Adam and I were gone.
I rolled on my back when I felt a heavier body hit the bed next to me, causing my back to arch. I turned my head and saw a smiling Nick on the opposite side of my bags.
“Have fun?” he asked, putting his arms above his head.
“Sure,” I moaned, sitting up. I really should get this stuff put away.
“I told you she liked those scrawny men. But I will give you this; he’s not as scrawny as he was a month ago.” Nick smiled at me.
“Yeah, you were right,” I said dryly.
“It’s not like you had any interest in the boy in the first place. You like the dark-spirited men.”
“Precisely,” I answered dryly. I was in no mood to speak with Nick.
“I met Aaron while you were gone.” He grinned again. “You have a type, and well, Adam doesn’t fit that type.”
“They just took to each other,” I lied. “No coercion.”
“Can I see your tattoo?” he pried, sitting up and stretching. “Your dad said you got some ink done.”
“Yeah, one second.” I stood and pulled my shirt up so he could see the two wings on my shoulder blades. I felt his fingers touch the skin, and I sighed. It didn’t do the same for me as Adam’s touch.
“She does awesome work,” he said, pulling my shirt back down for me. “I’m going to have her do some of mine.”
“She did one on Adam’s back that is stellar,” I bragged. I had been able to push my feelings to the side and look at Adam and Rose as a couple and not a threat.
“Nice,” Nick smiled. “You know …” He put his hands behind his back. “… I have this girl who I’m thinking of asking out on a date. I know there isn’t much here, but the old movie theater gets a new release every Friday.” He smiled. “I was wondering how to ask her?”
My heart quickened. What was going on with the men in my life? Did I suddenly sprout into a full-grown woman? Did they not see me as a child anymore?
“Just ask her,” I said choking.
“Really?” He frowned. “That’s your advice?”
“Yeah,” I said slowly. “Who is it?”
“Helen.” I felt a weight come off my shoulders. I had to remember for most of my life, this man had been part of my family by marriage. He would never see me more than just his sweet little fire cousin.
“Oh, that’s great! You two have a lot in common,” I smiled.
“Yeah, I think so.” He hugged me. “All right, cuz, I will go and ask her out.”
“I bet she will say yes. If she doesn’t like you, she will at least want to get away from everything here,” I teased.
“Oh!” Nick said, putting his index finger up in the air. “That Aaron guy left something for you. I put it in the top drawer of your dresser. I think you will like it.” He left the room, and I wandered to the bureau and pulled the top drawer open.
Under one of my nightgowns was an envelope. I opened it slowly. The last time I had received an envelope like this, it had been full of photo memories. This one was the same; inside were all the pictures from prom. All six of us smiling and happy, not having a care in the world. There were Aaron’s and my photos in the mix as well. Our eyes were locked, he looked so in love, and I looked so confused. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I wish I could look at you the way I used to. The voice rang in my ears as if he was standing right behind me. This must have sparked a memory or a question, something.
I held on to the picture of Adam and me, our arms locked. We were the best of friends, all of us. It was as if I was looking at something that happened years ago and not so much a few months. It was hard to think that the next day, our lives would change forever. The only one of us that had a normal life now was Nadine.
I put the pictures back in my drawer and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. It had been a while since I felt that emotion: the joy of finding a memory that I never wanted to let go. Even years into the future, I would still have them to visit long after those in the photo were gone.
“Dawn!” I heard the excited squeal and turned just as Krista crashed into me. She squeezed me so hard I felt my back pop in three locations before she let me go.
“It’s good to see you, Krista,” I laughed.
“Oh, you have missed so much!” she exclaimed, pulling me to the bed and sitting down. “I can call storms. Can’t make it rain yet, but I can call everything needed to make it.” She was so proud of herself. “I also have mastered my whip. Thanks to Jeremiah.” She blushed. I should have known when I left, she would take up spending time with the young warlock.
“Jeremiah, huh.” I smiled at her. I couldn’t expect her to pine over her lost love forever. She was young, she knew he was trash, and she was ready to move on.
“Yeah, he’s brilliant,” she smiled. “He told me about when he was bitten.”
“That’s a lot of trust,” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“I thought so too.” She laced her fingers together. “He kissed me,” she squealed.
“Oh, my.” I tried to act shocked, but I really couldn’t. I knew the reason she was telling me was that we were, for technical reasons, the same age. Helen wouldn’t get excited about this because Helen didn’t care about anything but destroying things. For a woman all about saving the world, she sure had a destructive personality.
“I know!” She wasn’t catching on to my sarcasm.
I sat there blankly while she talked. I didn’t pay attention to a damn thing she said, just kept running things in my mind. Rose had Adam, Helen had Nick, and Krista had Jeremiah. Who did I have? I had a void, a looming void that called out to me to fill it. I refused to do it. I had let Adam go without ever really having him. The void could go to Hell then; I was going to be just fine on my own. I had been alone before Wesley, and nothing terrible happened to me. So, I was going to be okay. Wasn’t I?
“Dawn you ok?” Krista grabbed my face and put her forehead to mine.
“Yeah, I’m fine.
I’m sorry,” I said softly as she smiled. We were eye-to-eye.
“You have a lot on your mind,” she said, pulling away from me. “I get that. I just wanted to share the news with you. I think you’re the only one that gets me.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, feeling that she wanted some attention. Her soft nature had been overpowered by Helen, so Krista had just blended in with the background.
“You saw it; you lived it.” She sighed. “The other two will never understand the things we have seen or the connection we have.”
I couldn’t resist. I reached out, and I grabbed her, holding her as close to me as I could get her. “You listen to me,” I demanded. “You are the most special girl I know. Correction. That I will ever know.” I squeezed her and heard a sniffle. She was crying on my shoulder. “No need for tears.”
“I knew we had a special bond.” Her voice shook as she held on to me tighter.
“Always,” I breathed as I felt my air supply cut off.
****
“Hey, you!” Rose’s voice took me by surprise, and I shot a fireball at the floor. I growled at the singed carpet and turned to look at her. She was standing at the top of the stairs; her green eyes were penetrating my soul. I wasn’t sure if she was pissed or if she was getting the feel of the place.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound cheerful, but instead, it came out flat and annoyed.
“Your mother is nuts!” she exclaimed, running down the stairs and stopping two steps up from me.
“Yeah, that’s what makes her great.” I smiled at Rose. It was apparent something my mother had done had gotten her all riled up.
“She seriously just asked me what weapons I knew how to use.” Rose smacked herself on the forehead and trailed her fingers down her face.
“Yeah, well in our world guns and biological warfare don’t exactly work.” I was amused by her ignorance of everything that was going on. She had no clue what to do in any situation. The image of her back against the wall, scared to death, shot through my mind.
“I get that, I do. Why do I have to be proficient with a weapon? What do you use?” she asked. Her face was still frozen in horror.
“Flaming broadsword,” I said quietly, looking around the stairway. I had thought my swordplay to be quite natural, especially when my mother threw it to me, and muscle memory took over. I didn’t believe it was nerdy in any way.
Rose just stared at me then massaged her temples. “You have got to be kidding me. The other two?”
“Krista has a whip and Helen a pitchfork.” Now I could see how this looked stupid — three adult females playing with metal. We were the snapshot of a perfect D&D role-playing game.
“You are all crazy. I knew it was dumb to follow you here.” She looked at me and frowned. “If Adam hadn’t convinced me to come, I would still be in Dallas.”
“You would be dead!” I yelled at her. “You cannot take care of yourself. You don’t even know what you are.”
“I know damn well what I am,” she yelled back at me, her green eyes flaring up.
“If you did, you wouldn’t be standing on the steps of my parents’ house calling them crazy?” I exploded, the flames consuming me. She was frozen, staring at me. I felt my eyes burn, and my skin tingled as the transformation took over. “Everything that we have done has been for you! Every rock that we turned over was to find you! Every day that I have to wait to get Wesley back is because of you!” I was too angry. This wasn’t me; this wasn’t normal. All the pent-up frustration I felt toward her came out in the red flames that were dancing around my skin.
“Holy shit!” Rose yelped, taking a step back up the stairs. “Dawn, did you know you are on fire?” Her tone had changed; she was scared shitless.
“Did you know that you are on my last nerve?!” I boomed at her in my hollow voice.
“Girls!” My mother came running up the side of the stairs and put her hand on my shoulder. I instantly calmed, and the flames went out. “What is going on here?” she demanded, looking between Rose and myself.
“Spear,” Rose said suddenly, her eyes still locked with mine. I knew they hadn’t changed; the burning sensation was still too much. “Double-edged spear.”
“What does that mean?” I seethed. My heartbeat was irregular. My mother was still trying to calm me and, though she had managed to put the flames out, the protective nature in me was not letting Rose off so easily.
“I used to play with wooden staffs. My father was a reenactor and decided to have me mess with the spear, and I sort of know how to use it.” Rose broke eye contact.
“Seriously! You were calling me a freak when in fact you knew damn well what you were good at.” I sighed. This woman was going to be the death of me. Krista was too innocent, Helen too bent on blood, and Rose was the one that rejected her fate. “We are all going to die.” I threw my head back. My eyes had stopped burning, meaning I was back to normal.
“I wouldn’t say that. It took a lot for Rose to admit to a weapon proficiency,” my mother said, smiling at Rose. “Thank you; I will make sure to have one made, especially for you.”
“What is your problem with admitting you know what you are? Is it so far-fetched that you have both darkness and light inside of you?” I demanded. My mother turned to walk away but refused to take a step, her head in her hands.
“Have you ever been told you were adopted?” Rose asked, her arms crossed. That pissed-off look back on her face. “No, you haven’t been, because your mother and father are here. You try being twenty years old and being told that you are not biologically theirs. Then within that year, these things start chasing you.”
“I had my innocence ripped apart by a demon, Rose. I may not have been adopted, but I know the same amount of pain that you do,” I snarled. So, her problem wasn’t with the fact that she had feuding blood; her problem was with her parents.
“That is not the same, and you know it,” Rose said, pointing at me. I believed for a second she was going to poke me in the chest, but she decided against it.
“You can’t run from it. All those people out there.” I motioned toward the back of the house. “They are counting on you. Not Rose the tattoo artist that runs when things get weird. It’s Rose, the Water Warden, master of the oceans and rain that they want. No, which they need. So, put aside your silly parental issues and the other petty problems and be what they need you to be.” I was still angry. I still wanted to throw her off the stairs and watch her fall. However, if she were like me, her body would twist, and she would land on her feet.
“Are you two done yet?” My mother had been standing at the bottom of the stairs, her arms crossed, staring at us.
“I think so,” Rose said, pushing past us, and walking out the front door.
“Let Adam handle it,” Mom said, putting her arm around me. We walked outside. “Let’s go check out the barn.”
Chapter 16
Expectations
The moment we set foot through the doors, the cheering began. I shook hands and received pats on the back, something that had never happened before. I wasn’t used to praise. Even with the small amount that I received after the school shooting, it was nothing compared to this. They were excited; I had brought back the fourth. This meant we were complete and could wage battle against the Queen’s growing Army.
“When do we begin training?” one of the pureblood witches asked me.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled as my mother pulled me along through the crowd.
“So glad to have you back,” a small were said, touching my shoulder.
“It’s good to be back,” I replied. This was becoming too much; I didn’t know what to tell these people. I wasn’t the leader; I was just one of four.
No matter what the question was, my mother kept pushing me forward. I wasn’t allowed to say more than a few words. I think she was afraid I would answer something wrong and be held accountable for the backlash. For every action, there is a reaction.
&
nbsp; “Let’s not make promises we don’t know we can keep,” she whispered as she pushed me through the last bit of the crowd. Standing at the end was Max, a massive smile on his face. As head of the warlocks, he had taken a stand next to my mother and father. His power was at the same level as theirs; the only difference was all of his came from being on Earth. As he aged, he grew more powerful, and I honestly had no idea how old he was.
“Fire Warden,” he said, taking my hands in his and smiling at me. “We are grateful to you for returning with the Water Warden.” He looked at my mother, and she nodded. “Tomorrow we stand as one, a whole. Though more are coming, we can finally begin the required training. Many of these people do not know more than how to call 911. The Wardens will meet with the heads of covens, packs, and the head of the vagabonds. We will discuss the battle tactic as well as figure how we will split this growing Army between the four leads.”
“I have no idea what you just said,” I laughed as he held his head low and chuckled at me.
“Of course not, child. I forget how young you are. Just remember, you are physically young, but your blood is older than this world. You will know what to do.” He hugged me tightly. “Until tomorrow morning. For now, a tour!” He threw his hands up, and the crowd cheered. Did they even know what they were cheering for?
“Come on, Dawn.” My mother’s hand grabbed mine again, and we were heading up a set of stairs to the living quarters on the first floor.
****
“What did you think?” she asked when we were back outside, the warm summer breeze blowing softly.
“Amazing,” I replied.
My father had spared no expense when it came to the allies. They were in cozy apartments that had all the amenities of normal ones. Of course, no rent was charged; all that was asked was that each being pitch in for the food and other items needed. My father had shipments brought in by helicopter to feed the crowd, anything perishable was grown in the fields behind the barns. This kept them off the streets of Harrisville and away from the eyes of the locals. Nobody knew about this place. Those that did would only see the house from the road and not the people who were around it. The Weathers’ manor was well taken care of and very much protected.
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