36
Flames explode from the windows, shooting shards of glass over the lawn, and thick black smoke into the morning sky. Sebastian knocks me to the ground, his body shielding me from debris. Seconds later, he hauls me to my feet and rushes for the parking lot. The slick black sport sedan he borrowed from the chaser warehouse is the only car in the student lot, but it won’t be for long. Any minute now teachers and students will roll in and we need to get out of here before they do.
Sebastian props me against the hood of the car, then fumbles for the keys buried in his pocket, the muscles in his jaw twitching with every miniscule movement his injured arm is subjected to.
I jerk forward in a fit of suffocating dry heaves, spewing nothing and getting no air. I brace my hands on my knees, unable to stop myself from peeking up through my bangs at the horror unfolding before me.
I set the school on fire.
I set. The school. On fire.
I was only trying to burn the blood away like I’d done before when I wiped out the vampires at the diner. It was simple then, the magic inherent, but here… here it all went sideways. The fire caught so fast, and the more I panicked, the more it spread, and I couldn’t stop it.
I couldn’t stop it.
Oh God. Mr. Logan. Dread the size of a boulder fills my stomach. What if the crazy old janitor is still in there somewhere? I can’t leave him. I have to make sure he’s okay.
I take a few shaky steps when I spot him coming out the front doors of the school.
He’s okay.
All the breath I’d been holding expels from my lungs.
He’s okay.
His hand slips into the pocket of his coveralls, likely reaching for his phone when his gaze meets mine. He heads for Sebastian and me with purpose.
“Are you two alright?” Mr. Logan calls when he’s halfway to us. His milky brown eyes race over us, noting the blood running down Sebastian’s face. “What happened?”
Sebastian twists the ring around his finger, the etchings on the side flaring a soft blue before fading out. “We’re okay,” he tells him in a soothing, confident voice, despite his words being drug out.
Mr. Logan’s thick, bushy eyebrows twitch as they crawl toward one another. Sebastian’s influence isn’t working. “How did the fire start?”
A fresh wave of panic grips my insides. What if he suspects we had something to do with it? Which we did… or at least I did. But that’s beside the point. If he tells the authorities about us being here, we’ll just be trading one set of questions for another.
My mind splits over what to do. We can’t tell him the truth, and we certainly can’t tell the authorities the truth, which just leaves magic. I glance at Sebastian’s ring, my thoughts racing at a hundred miles an hour. I’d only ever done this once—that I know of—and I have no idea if it’ll work now, but I’ve got to try something.
“Mr. Logan.” Magic simmers beneath my skin as his gaze locks onto mine. His milky brown eyes become unfocused the longer we stare at one another. “Sebastian and I were not here this morning. You never saw us. You have no idea how the fire started. You smelled smoke and got out. Now, you’re going to run to the row of trees at the end of the lot where you’ll call for help. You won’t see us.”
He blinks slowly, then nods. He takes a backward step, then turns and runs for the trees.
Sebastian watches me from the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable. I just compelled Mr. Logan, like I did my aunt and uncle when I demanded they tell me the truth about my father. Just like a vampire would. Old fears churn the acid in my stomach and send my tongue gliding over my teeth in search of fangs. Thank the stars there are none, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I still have no idea where the source of this power comes from. My momentary death at the hands of a vampire, or my father and the angelic abilities I inherited.
Without a word, Sebastian leads me around to the passenger side and opens the door just as the first car enters the school parking lot. He stares down at me, his eyes conveying what I already know. We can’t leave. It would look too suspicious if we did.
I rub the sleeve of my shirt over the side of his face, scrubbing away the blood. A fresh trail trickles from the wound along his hairline the moment I take my hand away. This isn’t good. “Do you have a hoodie?” I drop my eyes to the arm cradled over his chest. With the way he’s holding it, there is no way he will be able to maneuver his arms through the sleeves. “Or a hat? Do you have a hat? You need something to hide the gash on your head.”
“In the trunk.” His thumb fumbles over the fob, the seconds ticking by loudly inside my head. The latch pops, and I leave him standing at the side of the car while I dig through his bag.
“Found it.” I close the trunk as another four cars pull into the lot, and several buses line up along the sidewalk. “This might hurt.” I wince for him as I place the ball cap onto his head and tug it down to cover the gash. Twisting my sleeve around, I use a clean section to wipe the fresh trail of blood from his face and pray the hat will catch the rest.
People start to crowd around, staring dumbfounded at the school as sirens fill the air with the arrival of several fire trucks.
“Holy crap. What happened?”
I startle at the question and lock onto a pair of pale blue eyes in a face I don’t recognize.
“I don’t know. We just got here,” Sebastian answers, his words slightly slurred. Not getting the answer he was hoping for, the guy moves along to another group of people.
“Indi! Sebastian!”
I jump and turn just in time to catch Liv as she barrels straight into me. The weight of her in my arms pushes me back a step and into Sebastian. A breath hisses between his teeth, and she jerks away, turning her attention to him. Her frantic green eyes scan over him from head to toe, pausing in their assessment at the way he holds his arm to his chest. She takes my hand and ticks her head to the side for Sebastian to follow.
Jack is waiting for us along the grassy strip between the sidewalk and parking lot. His eyes roam over me first and then shift to Sebastian. “You’ve got some blood right here.” He brings his hand to his own head, indicating the spot just above his temple.
Sebastian wipes his face with the side of his hand, completely missing the spot. “Thanks.”
Liv steps in front of him. Her eyes crinkle at the sides as she scrutinizes his. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
He stares at her, then grabs hold of her hand as though he needs to steady it. “Four?”
“Two. Where are we right now?” She asks.
He looks around. “Um… school. Yes. School.”
She loops an arm around his good one, then turns to me. “He’s got a concussion, and a possible broken arm. We need to get him home where I can heal him.”
Jack shoves a hand into his pocket out of habit, then groans the moment he remembers he and Liv took the bus since the Tempo still has a flat. “It’ll take too long to walk home. We need a car. Sebastian, give me your keys.”
“I can drive us.” Sebastian holds up his keys then drops them. Liv grabs hold of his arm to keep him from tipping over when he bends to retrieve them.
“No, you can’t.” She slips her arm around his back and holds onto his good arm. “Come on.” She takes his keys, then hands them to Jack. “I’ll do what I can for him until we get to the house. You two get his car and meet us on the corner by the trees.” She leads him down the sidewalk, steering him away from several groups of loitering students.
“What the hell happened?” Worry lines cut across Jack’s forehead as his gaze jumps from the firefighters hosing down the school, to the emergency personnel shoving people back, to the thick crowd of students and staff blocking Sebastian’s car before finally settling on me.
I bite my lip and shake my head. “I’ll tell you when we get home.”
“Indi!”
I whip my head around. Taylor pushes her way through the crowd, Paige right behind her.
“Can you believe this?” She waves an arm at the school. “I’ve often wished the place would burn to the ground, but damn. I never thought it actually would.”
“I know, right?” Paige says. “Unfortunately, it looks like only the gym was damaged, so we’ll likely be back in class in no time. Boo.”
“But at least we won’t have P.E,” Taylor joyfully points out. “That’s always a plus.”
Paige rolls her eyes and shoves Taylor to the side. “Please. It’s not like you actually participate in P.E. You’re too busy sucking face with Jacob behind the bleachers.”
“True. Speaking of Jacob, I still need to find him.” Taylor stands on her tiptoes, her gaze scanning over nearby faces. Not finding him, she turns her attention to Jack and me. “We’re heading to Hammond’s for some of Paige’s mom’s yummy donuts since school is obviously cancelled for today. You two want to come? Liv too? Wasn’t she just here? I thought I saw her standing with someone when we were on the way over.”
“Thanks for the invite, but Jack and I actually have to get home. Liv is heading there now.” I shoot a glance at Jack to help me out.
“Yeah, Mom heard about the fire and is freaking out. She called just before you guys got here.” He wiggles his phone for emphasis. “She wants us back asap.”
“Bummer.” Paige frowns. “I was hoping we could go over some plans for next Friday.”
“Right. Girl’s night. I’ll give you a call, and we can talk plans.” I flash her a smile and back up a step. “But if Jack and I don’t get home soon, Aunt Claudia will send out a search party.”
Taylor pulls on Paige’s arm. “I just spotted Jacob. Jacob!” She waves her arm in the air. “Crap. I don’t think he saw me.” She darts into the crowd, leaving Paige behind.
“Taylor, wait up.” She throws her hands in the air. “Great, now I’ll have to search for them both. Meet us at the bakery if you’re able to break free.” A gust of wind blows strands of shiny brown hair over her face. Fighting with it, she tucks it behind her ear as her caramel eyes meet Jack’s gaze. “You should come too.” A tinge of pink blushes over her cheeks, as she waves and circles her way around a group of people.
I smirk as Jack takes my arm and leads us in the opposite direction, completely oblivious to the way Paige blushed. When did she develop a crush on my cousin?
Jack parks down the street from our house, his fingers white-knuckled over the steering wheel. He flicks a worried gaze to the rearview mirror. “How’s he doing?”
“I got the bleeding stopped, and he’s mostly conscious for now, but we need to get him in the house where I can heal him properly.” Liv’s hand flies out, catching Sebastian by his good arm. “Whoa there, buddy. Let’s not be passing out, okay? I cannot carry you up the street.”
Sebastian’s head falls back, and his arm drops an inch. His head snaps back up, eyes squeezed shut, as breath hisses through his teeth. Everything in me yearns to do something to help him. It’s my fault he’s hurt. If I’d used my magic sooner, maybe Tyrone wouldn’t have gotten that last throw in.
“What can I do?” I wring my hands in my lap to keep from reaching out. I may have brought him back from death’s door twice, but I have no idea what to do when it comes to healing magic.
“Help me get him in the house,” Liv answers sympathetically. “I’ll walk you through the healing spells once we’re inside so you can get a feel for them.” I nod, and she reaches for the door handle then hesitates. “Are we sure Mom and Dad aren’t home?”
Jack removes the keys from the ignition. “I convinced them they didn’t have to leave work. We should be good.”
Jack gets out, and I follow suit, scanning our surroundings for nosy neighbors. With the coast clear, I open the back door and help Liv get Sebastian to his feet. He clenches his teeth without a sound. Once we reach the porch stairs, the wind picks that exact moment to blow my hair in front of my face, creating an auburn curtain. I miscalculate my step and trip, pulling Sebastian halfway down with me. His muscles tense beneath my fingers, his jaw grinding back a cry of pain.
“Sorry. Sorry.” I yank my arm from his lower back, allowing Liv to pull him back up. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he slurs between his teeth.
Jack takes hold of Sebastian’s arm, lifting it from around Liv’s shoulder and draping it over his own. Holding onto Sebastian’s wrist with one hand, he wraps his arm around his lower back and leads him into the house and up the stairs. Coco darts out of Jack’s room once we reach the landing, barking and sniffing at Sebastian’s pant legs until Jack shoos her away.
Bypassing the bedrooms and the bathroom, Jack heads for the stairs to the attic. I hesitate for half a second at the bottom, the scars of my past burning within my chest as my mind takes me back to shimmery portals, fiery attics, and final goodbyes as my mom slams her hand down from the other side, sealing her fate. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Seth’s there too.
“It’ll be okay.” Liv holds her hand out, and I take it. “I know it’s hard for you to come up here, but you’ve done it before. You can do it again for Sebastian. We’ll do it together. I’m not too keen on going up there right now myself with Seth sleeping behind a cloaking spell in front of the window.”
I nod, and we follow Jack and Sebastian up the stairs.
Jack deposits Sebastian onto the floor while Liv lets go of my hand to open up a large cabinet. She stares over her shoulder at the seemingly empty space where Seth sleeps for half a minute before turning her attention back to the cabinet. She pulls out various items, half of which she hands to Jack. Making her way back to Sebastian, she begins casting a circle while Jack grounds something in a stone bowl. Each of them explains what they’re doing, but I barely hear anything they say as I lift Sebastian’s head into my lap. He stares up at me, a dazed expression on his face. I brush the hair from his forehead in gentle strokes, the act keeping me from looking at the wall where I’d stepped from one life and into another.
Sebastian reaches up, dragging the back of his fingers over my face to wipe away a tear from my cheek.
“Okay, I think we’re ready,” Liv announces.
37
Liv sits on her knees in front of Sebastian, leaving Jack to clean up. Apprehension and hopefulness flit over her face as she leans in to study his eyes. She holds up three fingers. “How many fingers do you see?”
“Three.”
“Good. Now move your arm for me.” She moves back, giving him space. She watches him with a hint of wariness. “It might still be a little achy for a while, and you’ll probably have a bit of a headache, but you should feel good as new within the next few hours or so as the healing spell continues to take effect.”
An amused grin hints within the curve of his mouth at her nervousness. He holds his arm out in front of him then rotates it around, shifting it in different directions. “It feels much better. Thank you. You should pursue healing magic.”
Her face lights up at the compliment for all of two seconds before morphing into one of worry. Her gaze bounces back and forth between Sebastian and me. “Someone start talking. What the heck happened to you guys? I mean, the gym was on fire for crap sakes.”
“The fire was my fault. I thought I could control my magic enough to burn away the blood on the floor. Like I did at the diner,” I add under my breath. “Guess I can only do that when I’m tapped into dark magic.” I drop my gaze to the floor. I’d seriously freaked her out when I went dark side at the diner, and I have no desire to see the fear in her eyes again.
She places a hand over mine. “Dark magic isn’t what gave you control. Intuition is. You were scared and cast from a place of instinct. You just happened to be tapped into the darker side of things at the time, but it doesn’t mean your magic is bad. Light magic is instinctual too. You only chose darkness at the diner because you were under someone else’s influence.”
“You think so?”
Her eyes soften, not an ounce of fear in their green de
pths. “I know so. The spell cast on you was designed to push you toward the darkness, but you are not an evil person, Indi.” She gives my hand a squeeze, then makes a face. “Wait, why was there blood on the floor?”
“Vampire attack,” Sebastian says as he massages his temples.
Jack jerks his head in our direction. “At school? Why would they attack you there? It risks exposure.” He fumbles the cabinet door closed, then takes a seat on the floor beside us.
With no one rushing around performing spells as a means of distraction, my gaze gravitates to the wall where the portal my mom created to help me escape an angelic bounty hunter once shimmered. Jack asks me something, but the words get lost somewhere in the background as memories of the past begin to blur into the present, and I’m no longer in the here and now.
I’m six years old and holding my mom’s hand for the last time, both of us moments away from reaching safety when her hand slips from mine. Now, I’m on one side of the portal, and she’s on the other, and there’s nothing I can do to save her. Then her hand is slamming onto the floor, blue lights are streaking out, and she’s telling me she loves me, the portal is closing, and then she’s gone. And I’m an orphan.
Jack’s hand waves in front of my face, and I flinch. “Indi?”
I turn to catch Sebastian rubbing his chest, his eyes filled with a sorrow that doesn’t belong to him. I have no idea what Jack asked, so I answer the last thing I do remember him asking. “The vampires were there to deliver a message. Can we talk about this somewhere else? Like in the kitchen, where you can whip Sebastian up some of your headache be gone juice?” Without waiting for an answer, I get up and stride for the door when what I really want to do is run as fast and as far as I can.
I’m already sitting at the island with my chin propped in my hand by the time everyone else catches up. Sebastian takes a seat beside me and hooks a pinky around mine in quiet sympathy. Like me, he knows what it’s like to watch someone you love be taken right in front of you.
Of Darkness & Light: Blood Descent Book 2 Page 37
