Soul Guard (Elemental Book 5)

by Rain Oxford

  He grinned. It was the most sinister grin— the grin of a man who held all the cards. “Sit down,” he said.

  Maria’s eyes watered as she felt his control flood her body and she sat in the seat across from him against her will. “Please don’t do this. Why are you here? You said you were done with me.” She whispered both because she didn’t want to cry and because she didn’t want to wake anyone.

  John put his hand on her knee. “Oh, I am done with you. It’s my son I’m here for.”

  She did start crying then. “You can’t have him.”

  He scoffed. “Stop crying.” She did. “I used to enjoy your crying, but now it has become irritating. He leaned towards her and caressed her hair. “There were good times, though. I mean, you aren’t half bad to look at and there was no one in the world who could have hurt my brother more. Come on, let’s play our special game for old time’s sake. Tell me the truth. Are you worth anything?”

  The compulsion to speak the truth was too strong for her to fight, but it was the truth as she believed it. “No,” she whispered.

  “Are you loved?”

  “No.”

  “Good girl. Just one more. Will you ever be able to escape me?”

  “No.”

  He ruffled her hair like she was a dog and stood up. “Good. Now to why I came. I’ll let you keep your larva if I don’t have any use for him.”

  “Use? What could you possibly want with him? I’m no threat to him and Vincent doesn’t even---”

  “Oh, do shut up. Your groveling grows tiresome. I’ll tell you why, though. It was never about you. I chose you because you were Vincent’s wife, but also because you didn’t have a drop of paranormal blood in you. You see, my father was a powerful man, but not very bright. He never thought that I would discover the great secret to his magic— the secret of why he had foresight and mind control, whereas Vincent and I only got half of the gift.

  “My mother tried to take Vincent and leave me and my father, but my dear older brother thought that it was his duty to help me. It was me who made him believe that, of course. I could control him even before I knew what I was doing. My mother was trying to protect him, but she also didn’t want me learning the truth.”

  “What truth? And what does it have to do with Devon?” she asked.

  His grin was devious. “The secret was the purity of our genetics. To be less human, we had to be more human.” He paused for dramatic effect. “I didn’t have the full force of the power because my mother was a paranormal. She was fae, to be exact. However, I learned that if I have a child with a completely human woman, then my child will very likely have both mine and Vincent’s power. Then the possibilities will be endless. I could use the child to do my bidding or even kill him and take his powers. I have other children, too, who will be developing their powers soon. Devon is just the first. In twenty years, I can have my own army of paranormals.”

  “That is sick.”

  “I know,” he said, so proud of his plot that it was spilling out his ears. That was when they both heard a creak on the stairs and turned to see Joseph on the bottom step.

  “What the hell is going on here?” he asked.

  “Well, well, this is better than Christmas,” John proclaimed. “Come on in, Joseph, and tell your dear wife what your opinion of Devon is.”

  Joseph entered as he was told. “He’s a weird kid who’s afraid of the dark because his mother coddles him and he’s going to grow up thinking women are supposed to be treated equal to men.”

  John raised his eyebrows at my mother. “You certainly know how to pick a man.”

  “Why did… how…?” Joseph tried to hide his confusion and fear under a mask of anger, but his eyes revealed all.

  “Maria, do you love Joseph?” John asked. She shook her head. “And Joseph, do you love Maria?”

  “No.”

  “Excellent.” He pulled a knife out of a small harness on his waist and set it gently on the table. It was decorative, single-sided, with a blood-red rose on the black hilt. “Maria, I’m going upstairs to test my son’s magic. He might die from it and he might not. If he’s powerful, I’ll take him with me. You can try to stop me if you’d like. Joseph, you will stand there without moving for as long as Maria does. If she tries to stop me, you will grab the knife and kill her.”

  He took two steps towards the door before she grabbed the knife and slashed at him. Unfortunately, Joseph tackled her, took the knife, and stabbed her in the hand.

  John laughed. “That’s my girl, always keeping me on my toes. You never did follow the rules. When you’re done with her, Joseph, kill yourself as well.”

  Joseph stabbed her in the stomach and limbs, anything to stop her from getting up, but she wasn’t thinking about the pain; she was thinking about John using her son the same way he used her. Out of will alone, she found the strength to wrestle the knife from Joseph, and without allowing herself to feel even a moment of doubt, she stabbed him in the throat. She pulled the dagger back out, shoved him off her, and crawled out of the kitchen. Once she reached the stairs, she used the rail to pull herself up to her feet.

  She saw a burst of white light, ducked, and narrowly got out of the way before John crashed to the floor beside her. When she tried to make it back into the kitchen, she couldn’t take more than a few steps before collapsing. There were too many holes in her body to try to stop the bleeding, but even then the pain wasn’t as important as keeping John from going upstairs.

  Astrid descended the stairs slowly and reached John just as he got back to his feet. Her eyes were not burgundy like Clara’s, but completely crimson and even glowing slightly. It was creepy. “What are you?” John snarled.

  “I’m the one who will always stop anyone who wants to hurt Devon.”

  “Stop,” he said. She didn’t. “Turn around and walk away,” he demanded, fear creeping into his voice. Again, she ignored his command.

  “You have no power over me. I am so much more than you.”

  “I can control everyone!”

  “You can’t even control yourself.” Light formed in her hands. Although it was white, it was somehow more sinister than Langril’s red lightning. It spread like fire over him, engulfed him completely, and when it faded, he was gone.

  “You… killed him?”

  “No. He’s gone, but he won’t remember this and the next time he even thinks of coming after Devon, he’ll remember the pain. Sit down in the kitchen so Devon isn’t scared when he sees you.”

  She tried to stand. “He’ll wake up. We were too loud.”

  “He’s fine, and he’ll sleep for a while.” Astrid helped her to stand and guided her into the kitchen. After settling my mother into one of the chairs, Astrid checked on Joseph. “Your husband is dead.”

  “I don’t… I remember marrying him, but I don’t… it’s like I married him in a dream,” she whispered.

  “That’s how it feels when someone messes with your memories. I doubt you ever had a choice in the matter.”

  Black shadows converged in the middle of the room and a dark mass formed from its depths. Within seconds, the mass lightened to reveal Ceyax, who laughed cruelly as Astrid stared in shock.

  I had no idea what Ceyax was, other than Krechea’s original familiar. Ceyax had taken Astrid when she was an infant and raised her to fight for Krechea. Saying he was her grandfather, he tried to force her under Krechea’s control by feeding her Krechea’s blood. It was Langril who broke her from his control by feeding her his own blood, although I knew that meant he was probably able to control her instead.

  That was when my mother passed out.

  Chapter 11

  The vision ended and we were left in an awkward silence. When I thought Astrid hurt my mother, I hated her for betraying me. Even when I started to doubt that she was completely at fault, I still held resentment for her. I was willing to save her, but I thought she attacked my mother because she was a vampire.

  Half of me wanted to dig John
up and bring him back to life so I could kill him again, and half of me wanted to drop everything and find Astrid, if only to tell her she wasn’t at fault for hurting my mother. In fact, if it hadn’t been for her, my mother would probably be dead and I would have grown up in John’s hands. And I fucking shot her right after she risked her life to save me.

  Kyle and Jason soon returned and we all left for the university. After about three hours, Kyle took over driving for me so I could get a few hours of sleep in before we faced whatever was coming next. There was always something about to happen at Quintessence.

  * * *

  I started to have a dream about Rocky hooking up with a male gargoyle when, fortunately, I was interrupted. My dream changed. Suddenly, I was in the tunnels underneath Quintessence. The only light came from a circle of blue fire around me. “Langril.”

  Out of the darkness in front of me, Professor Keigan Langril appeared. “Were you hoping for someone else?”

  “I may have been hoping, but I wasn’t expecting anyone else. Apparently, saying the shadow man’s name aloud lets him overhear us.”

  “Yes, and that is partially my fault. Never mind that, though; we are very short on time. This circle will protect us from being spied on. Has Krechea revealed himself and offered you a deal yet?”

  “Yes. He says if I let him use my key to get to you and again to open the tower, you’re the only one he’ll kill.”

  “Well, if you trust him, then do it.”

  “I don’t trust him.”

  “Good.”

  “I don’t trust you, either.”

  “Also good. Don’t trust anyone. If the four keys come together before the tower, human life will be spared, but you will be condemning another world to death.”

  “Then give me an alternative.”

  “Krechea has blood control over the shadow walkers, and you already know how to break that control.”

  “The shadow walkers joined Krechea for a reason; I doubt they would all suddenly turn on him if I let them go.”

  “No, but most of them were my followers and only followed him out of fear. Everyone still loyal to me will go into hiding until I return. Unfortunately, I don’t know which shadow walkers he was able to bring over to this side and how many soul guards there are. I tried to keep track of all of my people, but it’s difficult as a full-time teacher.”

  “What happens if the four keys are brought together?”

  “Didn’t the gnomes tell you before you got the fourth key? If you bring them together, they open the---”

  * * *

  I was shaken awake, pulled instantly back into reality, and found myself in the car with Kyle, my mother, and Jason.

  “We’re here,” Kyle said softly.

  It took every ounce of my control not to start cussing. He didn’t realize what he interrupted and it honestly wasn’t his fault. It was just really bad timing. Through the windshield, I saw the grand castle just as the sun was rising over the horizon. Strangely, I felt relief and anxiety equally. If I summed up the university in three words, it would be majestic, mysterious, and dangerous.

  Jason, my mother, and I got out of the truck and started heading up the gravel path to the castle while Kyle went to park the car. I actually met Kyle at the university. When possessed golems caused an earthquake that destroyed the dormitories, Maseré called in his pack to help rebuild, and Kyle was one of the wolves who helped.

  “It’s huge,” Jason whispered as we reached the courtyard.

  “Yes it is. Stay close when we get inside. There are rooms where the doors will change, endless hallways, and sometimes monsters running around.”

  When we entered through the front door, I felt a protective ward so powerful it was like a wall of charged energy. I knew without looking that my cell lost service. It was almost ominous in the silence. Each step creaked loudly on the very old wooden floors. Without students and professors walking the halls, it seemed even more spooky than normal.

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” Jason said.

  I did, too. Hunt warned me about the wizards, but it was more than that. Maybe it was because Hunt wasn’t there. I looked for the library where Vincent held classes the previous semester, but the staircase leading to it had moved again. We rounded a corner and my mother shouted in surprise as Kyle bumped into her.

  I heard a very familiar and very angry voice down the hallway Kyle had come from. “Watch them for a second,” I told Kyle quietly. Without waiting for a response, I walked down the hallway until I heard the sound again from a room on my right. I entered it to see that it was the auditorium. Then I realized the carpets and chairs were blue instead of red. Either Hunt redecorated, or we had two auditoriums.

  Remington Hunt faced two shifters with a gun in her hand. She pointed it from one to the other. Both shifters were huge men, and I recognized their species by chance alone. I had only met one Komodo dragon shifter before, but they were almost identical to Kevin. Their shaggy black hair and black irises did nothing to make them look more human. They both wore black jeans, black shirts, and black leather jackets.

  I pulled my gun out, stepped up to the right of Remington, and aimed it at the shifter to the right. If they attacked her at the same time, I had no doubt the woman could handle herself, but I wasn’t going to take that risk.

  The shifters looked a fraction less arrogant. “We have no qualms with you, wizard. Get out.”

  “See, I have a problem with two against one.”

  “I am appalled by the behavior of---” the shifter on the left started.

  “Shut the fuck up and return what you stole,” Remy interrupted.

  When the men shifted their weight very subtly, my instincts told me they were about to attack. I reached out with my power and took control of their minds. It was almost too easy. I felt the powerful reptiles hidden inside them. They planned to kill and eat Remington. “Return what you took,” I said in their minds, pushing fear into them along with the command.

  Their expressions remained stoic, but they both quickly emptied the pockets of their jeans and jackets. Instead of setting their stolen goods on a table or handing them over, they dropped them on the ground at their feet with defiance. There were a few pieces of gold and silver jewelry, money, and several bottles of what looked like potions. Finally, the shifter on the left snarled. “That’s it.”

  Remington lowered her gun. “Get out of here, and if you steal anything else, I’ll break your hands.”

  “Good luck trying,” the one on the right said. He wanted her to try so that he could bite her.

  Once they were gone, I let their minds go, worried that I would start seeing their memories if I didn’t, and put my gun away. “You realize those two are sick and probably murdered and ate a bunch of people, right?”

  “Yes. They used to work for the wizard council at disposing of some people the council wanted gone.”

  “They were paid to eat people?”

  She nodded. “There is a dark side of the paranormal world. Anyway, I appreciate the support. I don’t know anyone else who always assumes I have a reason for pulling my gun on someone, let alone steps up without asking any questions.”

  I frowned. “Well, I figured they pissed you off for some reason, even if it wasn’t worth killing them over. It sounds like they weren’t the only ones getting on your nerves.”

  She shrugged.

  “Alpha Flagstone or your father?”

  “Both.”

  We went out into the hallway, where Jason, Kyle, and my mother were waiting. Fortunately, the shifters were out of sight.

  Kyle blushed and looked anywhere but at Remington. I wasn’t surprised; she was an extremely beautiful woman. She was twenty-eight with a shapely, athletic figure, long, chestnut-brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and stunning green eyes. She wore a dark green satin blouse, a black skirt that would have been very professional if it were a few inches longer, and knee-high, black leather boots. I had no clue where s
he hid her gun.

  Despite her reputation for being quick to anger, I learned very rapidly how to stay off her hit list. If she and Flagstone weren’t so perfect for each other, I probably would have asked her out before the end of my first semester.

  “I’m going to go take care of some stuff. Breakfast is available in the dorms, but you might want to have your gun out when you go in,” Remy said.

  “Okay. Where is Alpha Flagstone?” I asked. She shrugged and walked off without answering. Well, someone is on her hit list. I guided Kyle, my mother, and Jason across campus to the dining room in the dorms. I decided not to follow Remy’s advice.

  It wasn’t just wizards staying at Quintessence for protection. The first thing I saw when we walked in was a black bear. Instead of jumping to conclusions, I took Jason’s hand and moved us out of the way of the door. The bear made a gesture with his massive paw that strangely resembled a wave before he walked out.

  There were another three dozen or so people in the dining room, two male lions, a griffin, and a large black dog. Although there were a few people who, like me, didn’t join until later in life, the majority of the student body of Quintessence ranged between eighteen and thirty, so I was used to the younger crowd. Furthermore, some of the vampire students looked very young, even those who were older than me.

  With so many powerful students trying out new spells, shifting in anger, and dueling, it was a dangerous place for anyone not alert and prepared. In fact, I thought that was about as dangerous as it got.

  I was wrong. The people in here were all older than me and each wizard seemed to have an invisible personal bubble of magic that warned everyone else away from them. They were here to eat, not socialize. I took Jason over to the buffet and my mother and Kyle followed cautiously. We waited behind one man who looked about eighty with long gray hair and a matching, unkempt beard. Under all that hair, he looked frail. He wore a light gray bathrobe instead of the dressy wizard robes that the professors wore. I didn’t know Jason well enough to predict what he would do, so I was too slow to stop him from tugging on the wizard’s bathrobe out of curiosity. The wizard turned to look at us.