I had already considered that before he made that statement. “I figured you would,” I said, smiling and giving both my mom and dad a hug before Asher and I turned to leave.
“Do you think this is a good idea, the party?” Asher asked, once we were on the front porch.
“Hold on, you promised me everything was fine. Don’t let my parents freak you out now,” I said, as I continued walking down the stairs. I could see Maddox standing on his porch watching us carefully. He ran a hand through his wavy hair as his eyes locked on mine.
“Are we not going to talk about this?” Asher called from behind me.
“Nope,” I said, as I made my way to Maddox.
As I approached, I spotted the smirk on Maddox’s face as he watched the argument before him.
“Don’t say a word,” I spit out as Maddox opened his mouth to speak.
Thankfully, he closed his lips quickly. “Got it.”
“You are driving tonight, Maddox,” I added as I began walking toward his truck.
Following me, Maddox made his way to the driver’s side of his truck, and Asher somberly got in the truck, too. Sitting together, the three of us set off for my birthday party which may be the last party we get to celebrate for a very, very long time.
Chapter 9
When we arrived, the sun was setting in the evening sky creating a magical glow of oranges, reds, and purples across the clear sky.
We drove through the open, red Iron Gate at the back of Melanie’s property, and the truck bumped and jumped around as we drove down the gravel drive that led further back in the property. I could already see cars and trucks parked and lights up ahead as the party was starting.
As we got out of the truck, I could already hear music blaring and I smiled. This is what I needed tonight: music, friends, and fun.
When we began walking together, the three of us all exhaled a big breath as we pushed through the brush to where the party was taking place. Looking around, I found myself in the middle of a full-blown southern, bonfire field party. Girls were dancing to the sounds of Luke Bryan, the music blaring from a loudspeaker set up beside a large truck. A group of guys was starting the bonfire, stacking chopped wood in the middle of a large area. As they poured lighter fluid on the pile of wood and other debris from the farm, sparks of orange and reds danced against the black sky, and the scene was almost magical. It was quickly darkening and turning to night, a time that most days I have dreaded, but tonight I am excited about the coming darkness.
Noticing us through the crowd that surrounded them, Melanie and Laura began flailing their arms in the air, calling for us to join her dance party. Melanie’s red hair was flowing all around her with each erratic movement. Waving back, we made our way to where the girls were pulling grocery bags out of their cars. I knew it must be the hotdogs and s’mores fixings.
“You all made it!” Melanie cheered.
“It’s my party, of course, I am here,” I laughed as I walked over and helped retrieve the bags.
Asher helped me as Maddox began eyeing the crowd, no doubt looking for a girl to flirt with.
“Thanks for doing this,” I yelled over the music. “Who are all these people?” I asked, observing how the group of teens seemed to be multiplying. Everywhere I looked more kids were dancing or talking. I noticed most of the kids from school, but as more cars began to pull up, there were faces I didn’t recognize.
“I invited people who we have classes with and then a few friends I know from across town,” Melanie said.
Laura just smiled, we both knew this party was going to be more than just a few of us, but this was way more than what I had expected.
After we finished pulling the bags out of the car, Laura began setting up the hotdogs and buns while Melanie created a s’mores station.
Motioning toward her back porch, Melanie pointed to a group of coolers. “We have drinks in the coolers, help yourself to anything you want. We will cook, this is your party so go have fun,” she stated as she waved me and Asher away.
“Thanks,” I replied, as I hugged both Melanie and Laura before walking away with Asher.
“Elle, I got you a Mountain Dew,” Maddox stated, as he walked up to me and Asher and handed me a can of soda. “I think there are some Cokes and a few Ale-8’s,” he smiled.
Asher rolled his eyes as I took the can and popped the lid. “I’ll go grab a drink and be right back. Stay with Maddox,” he said, as he glared daggers at Maddox.
I watched Asher walk away and I couldn’t help but watch him. Even though I get to see him all of the time, I still feel weak in the knees and a little breathless.
“Ugh, can’t you just get over vamp-boy?” Maddox asked, with a disgusted look on his face.
I didn’t even feel bad about eyeing my boyfriend in front of him. “Sorry, I can’t help it,” I giggled.
Maddox pretended to vomit, and I just laughed along.
“Did you see the guys over there?” Maddox asked, as he pointed to a group of trees in the distance. I knew he was referring to the members of the pack who my dad had sent to watch us tonight. I knew they were here, but I hadn’t spotted them yet. Glancing where Maddox was pointing, I could make out yellow eyes watching us.
“My dad told me he was sending us bodyguards,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Don’t be mad, Elle. It’s for the best to have as many Shifters watching us as possible. I don’t like the threat from the Vampires Council. This was meant to happen; your powers are too great not to be news,” Maddox whispered as he made sure no one else was around to hear us.
Without warning, Asher was standing next to me. Whenever he just appeared next to me, it always startled me. “What did I miss?” he asked, as he looked between me and Maddox.
“We were just noticing our bodyguards,” I said, showing him the yellow eyes glowing in the trees.
Nodding, Asher just smiled. “Good.”
Suddenly, a ball of fire shot up into the sky, illuminating the space around us with bright oranges and reds. The guys who had been trying to create the bonfire had succeeded. As the sparks began to crackle, the crowd cheered, lifting their drinks and shouting into the black night. The heat from the fire reached us, even from several feet away, but it was almost comforting to be blanketed by the heat. The colors that danced within the fire were alive and beautiful; they took on shapes and images as they gracefully moved along with the smoke billowing into the air.
“Hey everyone, the hot dogs are cooked and ready to eat,” Melanie yelled out over the music and talking.
We all made our way over to the small table and grabbed our hotdogs and began adding buns and ketchup. Sitting on the grass, we all ate and talked. It was relaxing and nice to just sit among friends and not worry about anything supernatural.
After a little while, Laura began handing everyone paper plates with graham crackers, marshmallows, and Hershey chocolate bars. We all used the sticks given to us to roast our marshmallows and put together our s’mores. Asher just watched with delight as Maddox and I devoured our gooey, warm treats. My tongue danced as the sweet and rich, melted chocolate blended with the warm sugary marshmallow and crunchy cinnamon graham crackers. As I stood admiring the glowing fire and enjoying my treat, my eyes focused on something moving by the edge of the tree line.
A faint whisper floated through the wind and it sounded like my name being called.
“Elle.”
I turned my head in the direction of the voice, expecting to see Melanie or Laura or any other of my friends, but instead, I was met with a wall of darkness.
“Elle.”
The female voice repeated again, this time the tone was more severe and laced with venom. Swiftly turning my head, I looked for the face behind the voice, but again I found nothing.
“What are you looking for?” Asher asked, as he grabbed my hand and forced me to look at him. I was moving my head from left to right and I was sure I looked insane.
“I hear someone calling my n
ame,” I said, feeling my body begin to shake.
“I don’t hear anything,” Asher said, moving closer to me. His mouth was mere inches from mine and his eyes were staring deeply into mine.
At first, I thought it might be one of the guys from the pack, but something about the way my heart stopped, and my legs began to tremble told me otherwise.
“What’s wrong Elle?” Asher asked as he grabbed my hand and began looking in the direction in which my eyes were frozen.
Moving in front of us, Maddox stood tall, his muscled body towering over me. “What do you see?” he questioned.
“I’m not sure,” I answered both of them. “I saw something move over there,” I stated, as I pointed to the tree line opposite of where we stood and across from where the guys were stationed watching us. As I looked over to where the guys should have been, I noticed the absence of their yellow eyes.
Suddenly, my phone rang, and I looked down to see my parents calling. Answering, I knew something was wrong.
“Hello?” I asked, already knowing who it was.
“Elle, are you safe?” my dad’s frantic voice rushed through the phone.
“Yes, what is going on?” I asked, my voice rising with nervous energy.
“Jim just called and said there was someone watching you all at your party tonight. When they made their way over to the area, the figure was gone,” he said, his voice breathy. I could hear my mom talking in the background and our front door shutting as more voices filled the space behind him.
Asher’s and Maddox’s phones began ringing, too, and I knew it was their parents alerting them to the possible threat too.
“Dad, I’m fine. I thought I saw something too, but I can’t be sure. We will leave here and come straight home,” I said, as I eyed Maddox and Asher who both nodded at me in understanding. I was certain they were hearing the same news I just had.
“With the warning from the Vampires Council, we can’t be too careful. If you are not home in the next ten minutes, I am coming to look for you all. Asher’s parents are here, too, as well as Maddox’s. And Elle,” my dad began, his voice trembling, “I’m sorry you can’t enjoy your party.”
Sighing, I tried to fight back the tears that were forming in my eyes. “It’s ok dad. I will be home soon,” I said, before hanging up my phone.
“Time to go,” Maddox clapped.
“Yes, we will talk in the truck,” I said, as I made my way to Melanie. I had to thank her for my party, even if I couldn’t finish it.
When I finally found her, she was sitting with Ethan Isaac’s, a guy from the soccer team who I knew she had a crush on. Laura was also sitting and talking to a group from our Social Studies class.
“Melanie, thank you so much for my party. It has been amazing, but we have to go,” I said, as I tried to force a big smile on my face. What I wanted to do at that moment was scream and cry at the unfairness of the situation.
“You are leaving? It’s your party, Elle,” Melanie whined. “You can’t leave.”
“I’m sorry. My parents gave us a curfew,” I said, rolling my eyes like most teens would.
“Oh, that sucks. Well, I hope you had fun,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and turning back to Ethan.
Maddox, Asher, and I made our way back to the truck as fast as we could without being detected as anything other than human. Once inside the truck, Maddox drove like a wild man back to my house which was full of Shifters and Vampires.
All three of us raced inside and as soon as we entered my house, we could sense the dread and tension immediately. All the faces staring back at me were full of worry, and I cringed instantly knowing my night of fun was over just as fast as it had started.
Chapter 10
When I finally stepped into the living room, my dad rushed upon us immediately.
“Elle, what did you see?” he asked, his voice bellowing throughout the space.
Raising my hands, I tried to calm him down. “Dad, I really didn’t see anything. I heard my name being called, but when I looked, I only saw the trees moving. Maybe it was nothing,” I shrugged, trying to calm him and everyone else around us. Asher’s parents ran to him while Maddox’s mom and dad inspected him, too. Maybe the warning from the Vampires Council had freaked everyone out to the point we were all on guard and worried about nothing.
“Elle, I hate to say this, but it wasn’t just your imagination. Jim and his son spotted a woman running from the scene,” dad noted, as he looked at Jim.
Jim and his son were almost twins, they looked so much alike. With their brown hair and thick beards, they looked tough and rugged.
“Maybe it was just a neighbor,” I suggested, even though I knew no one would buy this theory. Even I didn’t believe myself right now.
Asher walked over to me and held my hand. Glancing at him, I saw the alert reading through his eyes and knew I needed to stop trying to make up unreal scenarios.
“Elle, please just stop and listen. I think this is more serious than we imagined. We are in grave danger,” he added, his hold on my hand tightening with each word spoken.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my words meant for everyone around me, not just Asher.
Jim stepped up and took the lead on speaking this time. My father nodding his approval.
“Elle, this wasn’t just a nosy neighbor spying on a teenage field party. A couple of our guys followed her, and they tracked her until she just disappeared,” he said, shaking as he recalled the event.
“Disappeared?” I repeated, unsure of what he was talking about.
Nodding, Jim continued. ‘Yes, she shouted out a few words; a spell I assume. And then, she just disappeared into a golden haze of smoke. I’ve seen this before and it is the working of only one type of creature—Witches.”
My stomach dropped, and my breath faltered as the word Wtches ran through my head. As I stood frozen in place with fear, I felt Maddox and Asher by my side. With Maddox’s minty aftershave and Asher’s steel-like body near me, I felt both un-safe and a sense of familiarity. Why was this happening now? After everything we had been through, why couldn’t I just enjoy one evening as a carefree teenager?
Suddenly, my head began to spin, and it became too difficult to stand on my shaking legs. As I felt my body give in to the darkness that threatened to take over, I heard my name being shouted all around me before my head slammed against the hardwood floors of my living room.
***
Waking up sometime later, my head ached from a strange pounding sensation. My stomach was queasy, and my mouth felt as if it were full of cotton balls-- it was so dry. Finally opening my eyes, I found my mom and Asher crouched next to me, worry pouring from their eyes.
“Elle, how do you feel?” mom asked, as she handed me a glass of water.
Holding my hand, Asher lifted me off the ground with ease and placed me in his gentle arms. He softly walked me to the couch where he placed me on the soft cushions.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice hoarse and dry. I took a sip of the water and relaxed as the cool liquid coated my aching throat.
“You passed out, Elle,” Asher said, his voice strained. I could feel the pain and worry radiating from him as he stared into my eyes. His eyes scanned my body, checking to make sure I wasn’t hurt.
“Oh,” was all I managed to say.
“Elle, you need to rest. You have been through so much; you need to just lay here,” my mom stated, as she frantically looked around the room, her eyes searching for my dad.
Turning my head toward the large window in the room, I spotted my dad outside on the front porch. He was involved in a heated discussion and by the way his face contorted, and his hands flailed about, he was obviously upset.
“What’s going on outside?” I asked, watching my dad.
Noticing the conflict outside, my mom rushed to the window and pulled the tan curtains closed. “Nothing to worry about, Elle,” she stated. Her words may have told me not to worry, but her expression and tone
told me otherwise.
“I’ll go check,” Maddox stated, as he began to head toward the front door.
“Maddox don’t,” his mom called out to him, but he never stopped or turned around.
I looked over at Asher who watched Maddox leave. He sat there quietly, and I could tell he was trying to use his keen senses of hearing to listen in on the conversation taking place just outside the walls of my home.
I watched him, waiting patiently for him to give me some clue as to what was going on. Asher’s pale face expressed several emotions in the few minutes he sat and listened to the men outside talk. He went from interest, to serious, to strained, and then worried.
“What are you hearing?” I asked, unable to wait any longer.
“I’m not sure it is my place to say anything, but your dad reached out to the Vampires Council. He told them that the Witches had been watching you. They are coming tomorrow, and a plan will be made on how to handle this situation,” he said, his voice strained.
“So, should I be worried?” I asked.
An awkward silence floated between us as everyone in the room grew silent, too. They must have been listening to Asher speak. After what felt like forever, Asher finally spoke.
“We should all be worried,” he said.
Chapter 11
The next day, I was still grounded in my bed. After I passed out last night, my parents had forced me to bed to rest. I had tried to argue with them, but they wouldn’t listen to any of my pleas. I would go back to school on Monday, but until then, I was forced to spend my Sunday afternoon in bed.
Asher and Maddox too joined in with them to force me to spend a day or so resting in my bed. Everyone was watching me carefully and treating me as though I were a fragile doll they were afraid would break at any moment. Their constant stares were starting to really get on my nerves.
Evernight Page 6
