by Danica Rayne
I studied the guys, seeing how worried they were about me. How much love they had for me. Maybe that was the reason we were so drawn to each other from the beginning—because we were soulmates.
I looked back at mom. “But how can we be soulmates if I’m human and they’re supernatural?”
“Do you believe they have souls?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“That answers your question.” She scanned the area. “You’ve been here for a while. I don’t want you to accidentally get stuck here. I need to return you to the world of the living.”
“No.” I clung onto my mom, but of course I was just hugging the air. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know, sweetie, but you must.”
“Will I ever see you again?”
She hesitated. “Once the pillars are restored, I’m afraid even I won’t get to see you that often.”
“This sucks.” Tears were now gushing down my cheeks, so intense, like there was an ocean hidden behind my eyes. “This isn’t fair.”
“Be strong, Alivia. Be the strong girl I know you are.”
“I want to hug you,” I cried.
“I know, sweetie. That’s all I want, too.”
“Please don’t make me leave,” I begged as she floated higher in the air.
“I love you, my beautiful, strong daughter. You’re going to do such good in the world. You’re going to be the most magnificent slayer all of Edgewood—no, the world—has ever had. You, Alivia, have made me the proudest mother in the entire universe.”
Her words were making the tears rain down my cheeks more violently. I jumped to my feet and tried to grab onto her.
She leaned forward to press a kiss on my forehead. “Bye.”
I was surrounded by thick, black smoke. When it was gone, so was she.
“Mom,” I whispered.
Chapter Sixteen
“Alivia?”
The guys raced toward me, each one fighting to grab me in their arms.
“Where did you go?” Ryker squeezed me tight against his chest. “We were so worried.” He gazed into my eyes, and I could see a plethora of emotions flashing in there. Worry, hopelessness, relief, and joy. But the one emotion that triumphed over all? Love. “We thought about riding back to Edgewood and telling your aunt, but something told me to wait for you here.”
The others said similar words, Finn speaking in my mind.
I was grateful for how much they cared about me, but all I felt in my heart was pain. Loss. Grief. It was like losing my mom all over again.
“Alivia?” Liam asked.
I didn’t realize the tears hadn’t stopped. Ryker’s shirt was soaked.
“What happened?” Kayden’s voice was high with worry. “Did someone hurt you?”
I shook my head, my throat so choked I couldn’t get a word out.
Ryker swept me off my feet and lowered himself to the ground, placing me in his lap and wrapping his arms around my middle. “Whatever happened,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re okay now. We’re here.”
“Were you hurt?” Liam asked.
I shook my head.
I felt Ryker’s chest sag with relief.
“Then what happened?” Kayden asked.
I glanced from one anxious face to the other. “I saw my mom.”
They all gaped at me.
“What?” Liam asked.
I nodded as more tears streamed down my face. “She was the wraith. She was able to enter the world of the living because the pillars are down. I knew I felt her with me these past few days. I even saw her in the hellhound’s fire. I thought she was disappointed in me, but she was just worried. Guys…I saw my mom.”
Ryker pressed his lips to my cheek. “How was it?”
“It was…exactly what I needed.”
I spent the next few minutes telling them all about it, watching their eyes widen with happiness—for me. Because I was actually able to talk to my mom. They were probably one of the only people on the planet who could understand exactly how I felt. They, too, lost their families, and would give anything to see them again.
I glanced at Kayden. “Are you okay hearing this? I don’t want to talk about my mom when your mom—”
“I don’t consider that woman my mother. Just a vampire following the orders of a demon lord. She was dead to me years ago. I should have buried the memories along with her.”
Gently removing Ryker’s arms from around me, I crawled to Kayden and enveloped him in my arms. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed a soft kiss on my cheek.
After a little bit, I removed myself from his hold and settled down near him. “I couldn’t touch her,” I said. “I was so close to her but couldn’t touch her.”
Liam lowered his head on my shoulder, making sure his skin didn’t touch mine. “Sorry to hear that. It must have been so hard.”
“It was. But I’m so thankful I was able to see her and talk to her. I know other people aren’t as lucky. I don’t think I’ll ever see her again.”
Finn started to sign.
“And now you know she’s always with you,” Ryker interpreted. “You’ll carry her around with you in your heart.”
I nodded. “That means a lot. She’s not the villain the witch made her out to be.”
“Of course not,” Kayden said. “We never once thought she was.”
“She did tell me something very important. Something that could change everything.”
They all looked at me eagerly.
“She thinks my soul won’t get darkened like hers.”
They gave me blank looks.
My gaze flitted between the four of them. “Because of you guys. Because of the love you have for me. It will protect my soul and prevent it from darkening. My mom didn’t have that when she did the spell.”
They were quiet for a moment, each digesting my words.
Kayden broke the silence, “So…you won’t turn into a wraith?”
“That’s what she thinks.”
Liam leaped to his feet. “Awesome news! Let’s close the portal and live happily ever after.”
His enthusiasm made me smile. Could it really be that easy?
“Your mom knows about us?” Kayden asked. “That we’re together?”
“Apparently.”
“And she’s okay with it?”
Finn signed.
“She must see the deep feelings we have for each other,” Ryker interpreted. “That the five of us are meant to be together.”
“Soulmates,” I said. “Five parts of a whole.”
“And our parts will protect your part,” Ryker said. “We won’t let anyone or anything darken yours.”
I flung myself into his arms, pressing a kiss on his cheek. Then I did the same to Kayden and Finn, so glad to see there was no hesitation on their part. Liam’s kiss was swift because of the heat. I only hoped one day I could give him the kisses he deserved.
“Ready?” I asked.
***
I could hear the battle raging from a few hundred feet in the sky.
Night had fallen by now, and the air grew chilly. As Liam brought us closer to the high school, I caught sight of Aunt Bea and Dr. Caldwell battling a group of trolls. My jaw hung as I watched Aunt Bea take down her foe with only one arm. She obviously couldn’t use her crossbow, but she made up for it with spears and daggers. She was so agile and fierce, so badass.
“Looks like they’re doing a damn good job holding the fort,” Ryker called over the wind.
I was glad to see no police cars in the vicinity, but I did catch a reporter and camera man hiding in the bushes on campus. And there was a news chopper a few feet away.
I leaned forward to whisper in Liam’s ear, “Watch where you turn visible. There’s a news chopper not that far from us.”
Liam nodded. Then he made a sharp swerve to the left, concealing us behind the school building. He turned visible as he lowered us to the ground, then shifted back to his human form. The fiv
e of us raced around the building, finding ourselves behind the trolls my aunt and Dr. Caldwell were battling. We hurried to join.
“You’re back!” Aunt Bea said as she hurled a dagger into a troll. But the troll ducked just in time, and the dagger headed straight for me. My hand shot up, closing around the hilt of the dagger. I rammed it into the troll’s chest.
Once we finished off the remaining fiends, Dr. Caldwell and Aunt Bea sped over to us. “Did you get it?” Aunt Bea asked the same time Dr. Caldwell said, “Were you successful?”
I whipped the blue vial out of my pocket.
“Great. We don’t know how much time we have,” Aunt Bea said. “Most of the supernaturals came from around the area, but we think some might have slipped in through the portal. It’s weakening.”
“Let’s go.”
“Excuse me!” a woman called. When I turned toward her voice, I discovered the reporter running over, the camera man right behind her. “You fought off those monsters. Can I have a quick interview?”
“No, you cannot. Now if you’ll please excuse us.” Dr. Caldwell gently took hold of my arm and pushed past her, heading for the entrance to the building.
“But the world wants to know about the heroes saving our world.”
I tried to drown out her words as she continued to yell after us.
“We’ve got it from here,” Kayden told his foster dad. “You and Bea stay out here and keep watch. We’ll go with Alivia.”
Aunt Bea stepped closer, taking me in her arm. She sobbed against my hair. “Just…be careful.”
Her words were laced with pain. She still thought my soul would be darkened. But now wasn’t the right time to set her straight. It wasn’t the right time for her to learn that I had four soulmates.
“I’ll be fine. It’s what I was born to do.”
The guys followed me into the lab, and we stopped short. The portal looked different. It had grown in size and the shield was definitely weaker from when we left.
“No time to waste.” I nodded to Ryker, Liam, and Finn. “You guys surround the area and ward off any supernatural that sneaks in. Kayden.” I handed him my dagger. “You know what to do.”
I fished the blue vial out of my pocket, holding in securely in my left hand. Then I held out my right palm to Kayden.
He shut his eyes for a second. “I’m sorry.”
“Just do it.”
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly brought the tip of the dagger toward my palm. He slashed it deeply, and I couldn’t hold back the hiss of pain that burst out of my mouth. Kayden took the vial from me and uncapped it. Just as I was about to squeeze my hand over the vial and let a few droplets of blood trickle inside, I heard a sound to my left.
Kayden and I turned toward that direction to see Finn, Liam, and Ryker crumble to their knees. And then Lawrence came into view, a gun pointed at me.
Kayden shoved me away, just as the shot was fired, and I watched in slow motion Kayden’s body flail in mid-air as the bullet struck his chest.
I hit the floor with a hard bang, letting the right side of my body take most of the heat so I could protect the vial. I quickly capped it and stashed it into my pocket before bounding to my feet.
I blinked in shock. Because Lawrence wasn’t alone. A whole army was behind him, an army of humans. Most of them looked like ex-cons or drug dealers, and Chase was there, too. Each one pointed a gun at me, Liam, Ryker, Kayden, and Finn.
There was a hole in Kayden’s chest, but it didn’t seem to hurt him that much. Maybe because he was supernatural?
“Nobody move!” Lawrence ordered. “Or we put a bullet through all your skulls!”
“Lawrence, what are you doing?” I cried. And what was with his army? Did any of them know what was going on?
The portal made a whooshing sound. We were running out of time.
I slowly slid my bleeding hand back into my pocket. If I could get some blood into the vile, maybe I could somehow sneak a sip and chant the words…
“Down, slayer.” With an evil grin, Lawrence pulled the trigger.
Pain exploded on my right leg. I dropped to the floor, trying my hardest not to cry out in pain. Blood pooled around me. He had gotten me in the knee.
“Alivia!” Ryker made a move to leap off the floor, but a woman slammed her hand on his shoulder, planting him in his place.
“The next one goes in her skull,” Chase said.
My eyes met Kayden’s. If he wasn’t in pain, he could try super-speeding around the room and knocking the guns out of their hands. But I realized he wouldn’t be able to get them all before being shot. There was just too many of them. And from the looks of things, there were many more of them outside, too. We were surrounded.
“Lawrence,” I panted through the pain. “Chase. You can’t do this. Do you know what will happen if the shield comes down? Do you have any idea what hell you’ll unleash on Earth?”
“Hell?” he snickered. “We’ll unleash paradise on Earth! Well, paradise for us, anyway.”
“What did you say to them?” I demanded. “What could you have possibly said to these people to convince them to join your crazy cause?”
“I didn’t have to convince them. They were more than willingly to follow the Master.”
“Why the hell why!!!???”
“Because they’ve been rejected by society, just like I have,” he spit. “Humans are the worst! They promise they’ll help, but then they throw us to the curb and treat us like the dog poop under their shoe. We’ve endured enough persecution, and now it’s time the tables are turned.” His eyes gleamed wickedly. “We’ll each watch in gleeful satisfaction as one by one you humans are wiped off the face of the planet. Oh, what justice!”
“You’re crazy!” I looked at everyone else. “He’s crazy. You have to come to your senses. The demon lord will destroy the world. Do you really think you’ll be off the hook? Who’s to say he won’t destroy you, too?”
“Enough!” Lawrence marched over to the opening of the portal, frowning at the shield. “How much longer will it take for this thing to finally break?”
“Don’t do this, Lawrence,” I begged. “I’m sorry you’ve all been through so much crap, but letting a demon lord in is not going to help you. You have to believe me!”
He whirled around, glaring at me. “Want a bullet in your skull? The only reason you’re alive is because I want you to see this. And because the master wants to destroy you personally.” He turned back to the portal.
“No,” I said as he lifted his leg. “No!”
He slammed his foot into the shield, shattering what was left of it. Strong wind attacked from all over, so powerful that I was nearly lifted off the floor and swallowed into the portal.
“Alivia.” A hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking me down to the floor. It was Kayden. The wind was making it hard for the humans to see, each one protecting their faces. Some had even lost their weapons.
Kayden wrapped his hands around my shoulders. “We need to get out of here.”
“Kayden…” I stared down at the hole in his chest. “You’re hurt.”
“Bullets aren’t as effective on me as they are on humans,” he explained. “I’ll be okay. But your leg. Can you walk?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’ll have to crawl.”
It was extremely difficult to move due to the wind and the pain. It felt like I was caught in a tornado. Kayden wasn’t able to use his super-speed, and we crawled on the floor toward the exit of the room, picking up the others on the way. My leg felt like it was getting detached from the rest of my body, and it took everything I had to keep going.
The wind grew a little lighter the further we were from the portal, but it was still pretty strong. The humans were having a really hard time moving, which was the only reason we were able to reach the door. I was pretty sure my slayer abilities were a lot of help. That, mixed in with my adrenaline and determination.
Just as we were about to flee ou
t the door, a loud bang shook the floor. The five of us toppled down like bowling pins. When I lifted my head, I caught sight of legs slipping in through the portal. They were red with split hooves, and covered in warts and boils. A foul smell filled the air as the rest of his body came through. He was covered in warts and boils from head to foot, and he had long black demon wings that spread so wide they smashed whatever hadn’t yet been destroyed in the room. His eyes were large and yellow, his teeth black and rotting. His face was disgustingly distorted, and his nose was huge with even huger nostrils. He must have been at least ten feet tall.
“At last!” he bellowed, causing more wind to nearly knock us off our feet.
I quickly reached into my pocket and withdrew the rectangular device Lawrence had used to knock the guys unconscious. After pushing Kayden out the door so he wouldn’t be affected, I aimed the device at the demon lord and pressed the button.
Nothing happened. It was a long shot, anyway. Lawrence said it only worked on supernaturals born on Earth.
The demon lord’s eyes landed on me, and they lit with hunger. “The slayer.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kayden grabbed me and super-sped out of the school. He didn’t stop running until we were three blocks away.
“What did you do!” I raced back toward the school—which was very difficult and painful due to my injured leg—but Kayden wrapped his arms around my middle. “Let me go, Kayden! We just abandoned the others there. And my aunt!”
“Alivia, he doesn’t want them. He wants you.”
“So let him try and take me!” I freed myself from his hold and bolted toward the building, ignoring the extreme pain shooting down my leg, but Kayden rammed into me, making me tumble to the ground. “Dammit, Kayden!”
He straddled me, his legs holding me firmly on the ground, though he was careful not to apply too much pressure on my injury. “You’ll get killed if you go back there.”
