Eden let everything slide from her mind. She was convinced it wasn’t going to work and opened her mouth to tell Mac when her vision suddenly brightened behind her eyelids. Pictures filled her head; it felt like dreaming while awake.
The night formed around her, revealing a darkened street in a city. Yellow lamplight filtered wanly from the streetlights and the distant sounds of shouts, traffic noises, and a barking dog entered her awareness. Her physical body seemed to lose substance as she fell into the vision. For a moment, she fought the urge to fight her way from the strange feeling.
Eden saw a woman, older but with classic beauty. She had dark red hair, not unlike Alena’s, and stormy gray eyes like Mac’s. A smile graced her face, love shining from her eyes. Eden shifted her notice to see who she was smiling at. It was a younger Mac, but only a year or so younger. She appeared carefree and more relaxed; her hair formed a cap of soft auburn curls, not a spiky fringe of black with colored tips. The younger Mac was upset, and Eden focused harder to hear her angry words.
“No, Mom! I’m not going back. I’m going to the West where they’ll welcome me. I don’t want to stay here. Everything in the East is corrupt and dead. Uncle Davin works for the establishment, and I don’t want to work for him. I want to go somewhere mages are welcome.” Rebellion infused Mac’s voice, coupled with a fierce gaze that didn’t faze the older woman.
“I know you have it difficult, my darling, but twins shouldn’t be separated. It affects your energies. If you stay just a bit longer with your brother, he can go west with you.”
The younger Mac sighed in frustration. “You know it doesn’t work that way, Mom. Andrew is a techie, and I am a mage. Twins or not, we’re just not meant to stay in the same place.”
The older woman’s face twisted with sadness and regret. “Oh, Kenzie dear, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“But it did.” Mac’s voice was angry, but also regretful. “You slept with a mage and look what happened - twin abominations!” She threw up her arms in disgust. Her mother suddenly stopped, her face paling with fright. Mac didn’t notice at first. She continued walking for a minute before she looked back. “Mom, I didn’t mean,” she began, but the older woman was shaking her head, staring at something down the street.
Eden tried to focus in the same direction, but it was difficult to look away from the younger Mac. Her mind wanted to fix on that person and nothing else. She physically turned her head, and the motion moved her viewpoint. Eden shuddered as she saw what the mother saw. She almost pulled away from Mac, but Mac’s grip was unyielding. Both of her hands clasped around Eden’s one, shaking and sweaty.
A figure in a dark red cloak stood just down the block, its head covered with a thick hood. The presence was sinister, just like the one in her dream. She looked back at Mac and her mom. The older woman was backing up, her eyes wide with fear. Mac stared at her mother in concern before tearing her eyes away. She held up her hands, seeing the dark figure.
“Don’t come any closer!” the younger Mac screamed. Fear edged her voice. The figure laughed, an eerie, haunting sound.
“You will make a pretty treat for our master,” the figure cackled. “But first, we don’t need that one.” The creature extended his arm toward Mac’s mother. Blue energy sizzled in the cloaked figure’s outstretched hand but didn’t scorch the sleeve of its robe. Mac’s eyes widened as the energy ball formed. Eden gasped when the being released its strange magic. At the last second, Mac sprang forward. The energy snapped into her chest and knocked her to the ground. It fizzled along her skin but didn’t burn her. Mac remained on the ground, unmoving, her eyes closed. The mother screamed, running to her daughter.
“That was unfortunate,” the figure murmured without any trace of emotion at all. It raised its arm again and sent a second energy ball toward the mother. The charge slammed into her body, and her clothes caught fire while her flesh began to smoke and sizzle. Eden gagged as bile rose in her throat, but she held on. Her eyes moved toward the Mac lying on the street. The magic hadn’t affected both of them in the same way. Mac appeared unconscious but unharmed compared to her mother. The creature approached, its body almost gliding toward Mac’s prone form.
“I don’t think so.” A guttural voice spoke from the shadows. Eden turned her head so fast she might have given herself whiplash. In the vision, though, she felt no pain. A lean figure emerged from the darkness, his upper body concealed in a black hoodie. Eden guessed his gender by the deep, raspy voice and the tall leanness of his form. “You’ve killed enough tonight, and you won’t be taking her back to your master,” the newcomer said. He snapped his fingers. Green light enveloped the cloaked figure, briefly blinding dream Eden.
When the light faded, the cloaked figure was gone; it had disappeared without a trace. No, not gone. The hooded man walked forward, crouched down, and casually sifted through a pile of silver dust that marked the place the creature had stood. He cocked his head and filled his chest with air. Blowing the dust, it flew away with more force than it should have, like the man had just released the east wind. Eden studied him, a strange sense of familiarity nudging her. When he crouched next to Mac’s unconscious form, she was distracted from her study.
“You won’t remember this.” His raspy voice held tenderness. One dark hand tenderly caressed Mac’s pale cheek. “I’m sorry, but one day we will have to fight on the same side. I don’t want you to hate me for not arriving thirty seconds earlier.” The man glanced at the mother’s body. Her blood formed a spreading pool beneath her; her flesh and clothes released steam. He lifted his head, and Eden had the strange sensation that he was scenting the air. Then, with speed that seemed unnatural, he stood and disappeared into the darkness. Dream Mac woke seconds later and looked over at her mother, releasing a bloodcurdling scream.
Eden jerked as Mac suddenly released her hands in the physical world. They both slumped forward, their hearts pounding. “Holy fuck,” Mac breathed.
“Did you see everything or did your vision stop when you blacked out?” Eden's breath panted from her. Mac met Eden’s gaze and then looked at Davin, her eyes a tumultuous storm. Her emotions were so powerful, Eden leaned back to relieve some of the pressure against her own energy.
“I saw it all. Davin, I didn’t kill her. I didn’t kill her. What an asshole, though! He’s an arrogant bastard to just creep in and out - and that monster.” She shuddered.
“Whoa, whoa,” Davin interrupted Mac. “Start over, MacKenzie. You’re not making any sense. And just for the record, I knew you never killed your mother. Andrew knew; I knew.”
Eden glanced at Mac in surprise. “You thought you killed her?” That would explain Mac’s sullen nature and desire to not use her magic.
Mac rose and started pacing, her arms flying wildly as she spoke. “What was I supposed to think? I didn’t remember the cloaked figure at all. All I remembered was that Mom and I were fighting, and then I woke up next to her and she was, she was,” Mac choked. Eden pressed a hand to her stomach, remembering the woman’s corpse. She couldn’t imagine Mac’s horror. “My magic does that to people, to humans, to a lot of things. It burns a hole directly through them. That’s why I thought I killed her. I’ve never met anyone or anything that could cause that kind of wound with their magic.”
Eden frowned. “You can do the same thing as that creature?”
Mac nodded and looked at Davin. “We saw it tonight. My magic attack was almost exactly like what those bastard machines threw at us, wasn’t it?” She didn’t even wait for his nod to continue, “If my oafish uncle hadn’t knocked me out by knocking me to the ground, I could have wiped out a couple more.”
Davin shook his head. “I don’t think I knocked your head against the ground, Kenz- er Mac. I think the robot’s magic, the energy ball, actually hit you. I was worried you were seriously hurt, but your breathing was fine and there were no wounds. The blast just seemed to knock you unconscious.”
“Huh, that’s what ha
ppened in the dream, too. I mean, in the past. I just absorbed the energy, and it put me out for a while.”
“You still haven’t explained what happened in the past, by the way,” Davin reminded them. Mac relayed the story, occasionally tripping over a couple parts and gesticulating wildly. Eden had never seen the woman so animated.
“I knew Ilona’s death wasn’t your fault, Mac,” Davin said when she had finished. Mac shrugged.
“I couldn’t help it. I said some horrid things to Mom right before we were attacked. I don’t even know if she heard my apology. It’s my fault we were there, and I think it’s my fault that thing targeted us. It was coming for me. It seems too coincidental to just happen upon that thing while we were walking home from the book signing.”
Davin raised a hand. “What’s done is done. The other person intrigues me, though.” He looked at Eden. “You couldn’t see his face?”
Eden shook her head. “No, but he had a very unique voice. I would know it if I heard it again. He knew who Mac was or watching her absorb the strike from the creature suddenly made her an ally. He seemed to know a lot about the creature and what it was.” She didn’t mention her own niggling familiarity to him.
“From your description, it sounds like the creature was the very same we fought tonight,” Jenira interjected, speaking for the first time since they’d started the dreamwalk. “How long ago was your mother’s death?”
“A little over a year ago.” Mac’s features pinched with pain, and Davin nodded.
“She was your sister?” Eden asked Davin softly. Davin nodded again.
“Older sister, by about ten years. It’s why the twins are only about eleven younger than me.” He paused, clasping his hands in front of him. His biceps bulged. “I think we should find this person who saved you, Mac.”
“Find him?” Mac yelled, throwing her hands into the air. “He left me for dead on the street! He didn’t save my mom. Instead, he let me think I killed her for a whole year! And what the hell kind of magic did he have anyway? A green light that disintegrated a machine into nothing but dust with a blink?”
“He seems to know a lot about what we’re fighting,” Jenira said, and Eden knew she was battling a smile. Mac did seem to be overreacting about the man that had killed the creature. Eden hadn’t felt anything sinister from him, not like the cloaked figure. “As for his magic,” Jenira continued, her voice thoughtful, “I might know something about that. I’ll have to contact an old friend in the West through Cat’s anonymous channels. Cat might even know, but I doubt it. She has too much in her head all the time.”
“Research is a good idea. I’ll do some digging, too. I’ve never heard of such a thing, but it would really come in handy when fighting those things. I have a feeling we will have to fight more in the future.” Davin stretched, and Eden yawned. She was almost asleep on the couch.
“Eden?” Davin’s question caused Eden’s eyes to snap open.
“Hmm?” she asked, leaning her head back on the couch.
“If we’re all going to the same place tomorrow, I need to know why Elliott was sent out at the last minute. I also need to know why Charity and the three younger girls are always excluded from everything. I need a warning if we have possible distrust between any of us.”
Eden forced herself back to wakefulness. She frowned; Gideon just blinked his bright eyes. “I’m uncertain about Elliott. I felt…excitement from him after the battle, and it didn’t seem like the appropriate emotion. Gideon agreed with me. Elliott was raised in a high-tech family, and his family thought it was a disgrace that he manifested no techie abilities. He was disowned and sent to the street when he developed mage abilities. He still has an unhealthy obsession with anything techie, and he doesn’t feel much loyalty towards mages.”
“Hmmm,” Jenira mused. “I could see a boy like that being impressed by a Magitech army if his morals are a little sketchy.”
“Yes,” Eden agreed with a nod, “that was what worried me as well. But, I could be wrong. He may have been excited to be involved. If Davin were to include him in tech operations, it might be enough to turn his loyalty to our side. I really don’t know him at all.”
“And if we exclude him right away on the assumption, it will definitely turn him against us,” Davin noted with a sigh. “Very well, I’ll keep an eye on him. The others?”
Eden shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Alena about that. I think it’s mostly an age thing.”
“In Charity’s case, it’s a question of maturity,” Mac offered with a snort. “That girl would sell her best friend if it would get her something. There’s no way on Gaia’s green earth I would trust her with our ‘secret hideout.’” She said the last two words with air quotes as she wriggled her eyebrows at her uncle. Eden barely stopped herself from bursting out in exhaustion-induced laughter. She liked the new Mac. Though her mother’s death still grieved her, the vision had given her some closure and a measure of forgiveness. She had shifted from stoic statue to drama queen in a matter of minutes, but the new personality felt natural. It fit her much better than the other. Eden hoped it would pave the way for her familiar’s arrival.
“We have to let Eden sleep,” Jenira said when Eden yawned again. The warrior woman didn’t look tired.
Davin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, we should. I won’t be sleeping. I need to make some calls to arrange transportation and get the estate prepared. Rock will have to bring some cars.” He flashed a look at Mac. “You’re coming?”
“I’ll come for a while, but I don’t know if I’ll stay. And I want to see Andrew,” she said the last with a sigh. Davin smiled, his face transformed into something softer and kinder. He stood and crushed Mac to his chest, kissing her on the top of her head.
“He’ll want to know what the hell you did with your hair, though.”
Mac poked a finger into his ribs, and he stepped back in mock hurt, rubbing at the spot. “Oh, whatever,” Mac scoffed. “You have a steel plate beneath your shirt or something.” She shook her finger. “You’re even bigger than a year ago. Careful, Uncle, or you’ll get bigger than Rock. Or is that a goal of yours?”
Eden smiled. Their gentle banter was comforting. Her eyes drifted closed within seconds, and she heard no more.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alena
Alena woke at daybreak, despite only getting a couple hours of sleep. She had so much to do! She had to prepare the girls and organize logistics. She didn’t know how they were supposed to get to their location or where they were going. She tried to ease away from Alec, but he started awake as she removed his hand from her breast, where it usually was when they slept beside each other. He cracked open his brilliant blue eyes.
“What’s up, babe?” His words were still slightly slurred.
“So much to do,” she said, springing out of bed now that she no longer had to be quiet. Her muscles were still sore from expending so much magical energy last night, and she stretched before dressing. Alec hadn’t moved. He yawned and put a forearm over his eyes, displaying the lean lines of muscle in his chest.
“I’m sure Davin has it all taken care of,” he mumbled.
“Maybe,” Alena said, “but…”
“But you can’t handle anyone else being in control, so you’re going to make sure he’s doing everything,” Alec finished for her. Alena shrugged as she brushed her hair back and secured it in a ponytail.
“Yes,” she admitted. “The kids are my responsibility. I don’t even know if they’re all joining us. There’s something between Mac and her uncle, and we haven’t even told the younger ones. And then there’s Charity and Elliott…” She looked around the room, her shoulders drooping. “Alec, I’ve lived here for seven years. I don’t want to leave.”
Alec slipped out of bed and pulled her against his naked chest. “It’s just temporary, Lena babe. We’ll be back if we want to come back. Things might be changing, you know. This is bigger than just us, from what Eden said last night
.”
Alena’s hands made nervous circles across the planes of Alec’s smooth back. “I know,” she whispered. She was having a hard time focusing on the bigger picture. Her brain was single-mindedly focused on getting everyone to safety.
“One step at a time, Lena,” Andrew murmured against her hair. Alena squeezed him and kissed his chest. He knew her so well.
She stepped away and nodded firmly. “Yes. Coffee, logistics, coffee.”
“Right,” Alec agreed. “Coffee first. I’m going to shower, and then I’ll be down.” He kissed her thoroughly, briefly tempting her to drag him back into bed, but she shoved the idea away. She was almost out of the room before she remembered to grab clothes for Eden. She was embarrassed she hadn’t thought to give several articles of clothes to the younger woman yesterday. She gathered several shirts and pants.
As she walked down the stairs, she trailed her fingers along the wall. Magic tingled in her fingertips. The house was saying goodbye in its own way, but it didn’t feel permanent. She squared her shoulders and fought off tears. She would return. Passing by the living room, she smiled and stopped.
Eden had fallen asleep on the couch. Her arm was tossed over the side, her fingertips nearly dragging on the ground. Someone had thrown a blanket over her, but she had kicked it off in her sleep. Alena’s eyes caressed her form. She lay on her side, but her tank top had slid down. One bronzed, firm breast threatened to spill over the neckline. Alena hesitated briefly before pulling the blanket over her chest. She brushed her hand across Eden’s cheek, coaxing a few errant strands of hair off her face. The brief touch continued the lingering arousal Alec’s kiss had begun.
When she straightened again, she jumped. Mac stood in the doorway, watching her. She looked like she hadn’t slept, but there was something different about her. She might not have slept, but she was more awake than she’d been since coming to the house. She stared at Alena over a steaming cup of coffee. Alena cleared her throat guiltily and stepped away from Eden. She wanted her own cup of coffee.
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