Protector (Daray Hall #2)

by Hoffman, Samantha

  She takes a deep breath. “About an hour ago, Tara…had a setback. She was very upset, more upset than she’s been since the graveyard, and she thought the best way to heal her pain would be to…cut herself. The knife went in a little deeper than she thought, and there was quite a bit of bleeding, but Morgan found her and took her to the infirmary.”

  “Is she ok?” I nearly shriek. “Tara’s always thought people that cut themselves were stupid or just seeking attention. Are you sure that she was just trying to cut herself? What if it was a suicide attempt that just got thwarted?” I’m speaking so fast I’m surprised Selene can keep up with me, but I don’t slow down. I’m breathing too hard and fast to relax right now. “Is she alright?”

  “Tara is fine. Margaret patched her up, and sent her back to her room. Jillian has talked to her about it, and Tara promised her that it wouldn’t happen again.”

  I’m so blinded by worry and rage that I can’t even think straight. All I can do is picture Tara sitting on her bed with a bloody knife in her hand, and I’m stuck here, unable to help her. The frustration builds and builds until, spinning, I punch the trunk of the tree I’d just climbed.

  There’s a crunch, and Selene sighs. “Kylie, you need to calm down. Tara is alright, and she’s promised to talk to someone if the urge to cut herself arises again. Now, let me see your hand,” she says, taking it without waiting.

  She clucks her tongue a few times, and I look down at my bleeding knuckles. “It’s a good thing the tree crunched, and not your hand. You need to calm down and be more careful.”

  “Tara is suffering,” I say, trembling with anger. “I’m stuck here, unable to help her. I thought you said nothing would happen to her!”

  “Kylie, I can’t help it that Tara is in an emotionally dark place right now. She needs to work through her pain by herself, or she’ll never get better. Trust me; in a while, she’ll recover, and she’ll be able to move on with her life.”

  She’s right. I know that, but I can’t help but worry about Tara, since I’ve been doing it since the day we met. I’m a protective person by nature, and that feeling is hard to fight. It’s like instinct; I can’t turn it off.

  Maybe that’s why Selene thought I would make a good Protector, because she thought protection was second nature to me.

  “Hey, you were gone for two whole days. Where did you go?” Selene fidgets nervously, and I stand a little straighter. “Is something else wrong? Is it the other goddesses?”

  “I believe so,” she says quietly. In those three words I hear more than just worry; I hear downright fear. “I have not heard from my daughter in more than two days. Pandia was supposed to meet with me, and she did not. She’s always here when she says she’ll be. I’m very worried.”

  “You think something happened to her? Do you think those goddesses might have taken her?”

  “Yes,” Selene admits. “I think they have her. Which means Pandia is unable to aid Tara through her dreams, like we’d originally discussed.”

  “What?”

  “Pandia was going to visit Tara nightly in her dreams, to help her through your passing. I think that without her, Tara may take longer to heal than I had originally thought.”

  “She had a setback today, but she’ll get better. She’s a strong person.”

  “Yes, but Jillian Daray has asked her to do something that I’m not sure I approve of.”

  “What?”

  “She’s sent Tara to your home, to tell your mother in person about what’s happened to you. Jillian told her that every mother deserves to know that her daughter died a hero.”

  “Is she insane?” I shout. “Jillian can’t honestly believe that the best thing for Tara right now is to visit my mother, who refused to come and visit me while I was at Daray. She doesn’t honestly believe that my mother’s actually going to miss me, does she?”

  Selene’s face softens, and her worry temporarily vanishes. “Kylie, I think you would be surprised about what’ll happen. Why don’t you check in on them?”

  I frown. “I can do that?”

  “You watched your funeral service,” she says with just a hint of disapproval. “Why shouldn’t you be able to see her now? Kylie, you miss her, and I understand that; I’m not going to keep you two apart. If you want to see her, then see her. I doubt she’d mind.”

  I take a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll check in on her. But I don’t think my mom will care that I’m gone.”

  Selene doesn’t say anything, and I close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I open them again, I’m looking at Daray Hall from above, almost like I’m in heaven, looking down on those I left behind.

  Tara walks out to the front gate and, the second I see her, my eyes immediately zoom in on the bandage on her left wrist. She rubs at it absently, and I sigh. She’s in pain, and I can’t help her, which makes me feel helpless; I don’t like feeling helpless.

  Kaven’s leaning against the passenger side door of a silver four-door jeep, and he opens the door for her. “Thanks,” she says, sliding into the sit. He doesn’t answer, and just closes the door behind her, before walking over to the driver’s side door. He pauses, and my heart twists painfully at the sight of him.

  He has dark circles under his eyes, and I can’t help but notice how tired he looks. The moment passes though, and he climbs into the car beside Tara. The second they leave Daray Hall’s grounds, Tara starts to fidget nervously. Her hands start to sweat, and I notice her breathing becoming shallow and raspy. I know she doesn’t want to see my mother, and I don’t blame her. The day she met Harry, she stopped being not only my mother, but Tara’s as well. Tara always saw her as a surrogate after first her mother died, and then her stepmother left.

  All too soon, Kaven pulls into my old driveway. He just sits there, and Tara takes a few deep breaths, before getting out of the car. There’s a letter in her hands, and she looks down nervously at it. I recognize Jillian’s beautiful, flowing handwriting, and I’m curious as to what the letter says.

  Tara walks up to the front door with a look of determination on her face and, even though my mother and I haven’t been close in years, I hope Tara isn’t planning on punishing my mother right now. If she wanted, she could be really mean right now, and I don’t want that.

  She knocks on the door three times. For a minute, nothing happens, and she just stands there. There are no lights on in the house, and Harry’s car isn’t in the driveway, so they might be gone at the moment.

  She raises her hand to knock again, when the living room curtain pulls back, and my mother’s face appears in the window. She looks over at Tara, and her eyes widen. For a second, there’s a look of pure disbelief on her face, and then reality sets in for her. She knows what happened to me when I ‘died’; she’ll realize the same thing happened to Tara.

  She pulls away from the window, and a second later, the door opens. My mother grabs Tara and hugs her close, surprising me, and surprising Tara as well. When she lets Tara go, there are tears in her eyes, and I immediately know this visit is going to end badly. Tara does too. I can see it in her eyes. She’s just realized that things have apparently changed since we both saw her last.

  “Oh, Tara! I’m so glad you’re alright.”

  “You are?” Tara asks.

  “Why isn’t Kylie with you?” she asks, looking at the car. “I have so much to tell her. Did you know that I filed for divorce? Yeah, I kicked Harry out. I told that loser that my daughter was more important to me than he was, and he didn’t like that one bit,” she says, chuckling.

  “Ms. Redding–”

  “I wanted to visit Kylie so badly, but Harry just wouldn’t let me go; that’s when I realized how horrible he really was. So I threw him out. I just hope Kylie can find it in her heart to forgive me.”

  I can’t listen to this anymore, but I can’t not listen, either.

  “Ms. Redding, I’m so sorry to have to tell you this…”

  My mother doesn’t believe Tara when she first t
ells her. At least, she doesn’t know that she believes Tara, but she does. She keeps denying it, but her eyes are tearing up, and her hands begin to tremble. She looks ready to have a panic attack. Even so, even though she says she doesn’t believe Tara, she really does.

  After reading Jillian’s letter, there’s a moment of suspended belief, and then she shreds the letter and screams. I’m not sure what she’s screaming at, or if she knows either, but that’s all she does. She screams, cries, and throws things at the wall, at the floor, and at Tara.

  This goes on for almost ten minutes and, just when Tara starts to edge toward the door, my mother falls back to the couch. Her sobs are choked and breathy, and she’s panting heavily. Her hands are shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes are wide and panicked.

  “No,” she finally says. “This can’t be possible. I can’t lose my baby, not now.” She’s still muttering to herself, and Tara gently places a hand on her arm. She flinches, and looks at Tara with red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes. “She’s really gone?”

  Tara nods. “Yes, Ms. Redding. Kylie’s gone. She died a hero. The woman that runs our home just wanted you to know that. And that Kylie is being taken care of by our loving goddess. She’s promised to look after her for us, ok?”

  It’s not ok, and my mother obviously thinks that, but she just nods her head. “I waited too long to go back to her. I should never have let Harry drive a wedge between us, but I just wanted so badly to be loved again. I wanted the perfect family, and that’s not what I got. I gave up my daughter for an arrogant, selfish jerk, and I wasted what little time she and I had together!”

  My mother begins sobbing again and Tara gives her shoulder a squeeze. “Ms. Redding, I’m so sorry for your loss. I think you know how much she meant to me as well. I just want you to know that it was Kylie’s choice. She made the decision so stay and protect me, and she chose to value somebody else’s life above her own. She was a true hero, and I’ll never forget that.”

  My mother sniffles, and wipes her face with the back of her hand. “Thank you,” she says. “I’d almost forgotten how loyal and protective she was, especially of you. Was she happy there? I know that she’s really shy and has trouble making friends.”

  “She had friends, Ms. Redding. My friends took an instant liking to her.”

  “Was it easy for her? I mean, I’ve never had to learn to be a well, a v-vampire, but she was always a fast learner.”

  “She had some trouble adjusting at first,” Tara admits. “But she got much more comfortable as the days went on. She really loved Daray Hall, Ms. Redding. She loved our goddess, she loved me, and she loved you.”

  My mother wraps her arms around her stomach and lets her hair fall in her face so Tara won’t see the tears, and Tara pretends for her sake that she doesn’t. For a moment, Tara just lets her cry in peace and quiet, before standing.

  “Ms. Redding? I have to return to Daray Hall for my next lesson.”

  My mother nods and walks Tara to the front door. For a minute, there’s an uncomfortable silence between the two of them, which is finally broken by my mother’s wild hug. “Thank you for being there for her when I wasn’t. I’ll never forget that.”

  When Tara pulls away, she’s not the only one crying. Surprisingly, my mother begins to chuckle. “Oh, Kylie always hated it when you or I cried. She thought it was her fault, and that she could somehow magically fix it.”

  Tara nods. “I know. She always tried to fix everyone else’s problems.”

  “Goodbye, Tara,” my mother says. Her mouth wavers and, for a minute, I’m afraid she’s going to start crying again. Instead, she just sniffles, and closes the door behind her. When she’s sure Tara’s gone, she slumps to the ground with her head in her hands and starts to cry again. “I’ll never get a chance to tell her how much I love her…”

  No, you won’t. But it doesn’t matter, because I heard every word, and I love you too, mom.

  “You didn’t honestly believe your mother would take this well, did you?” Selene asks, startling me. “No mother, no matter how far apart she’s grown from her children, will ever stop loving her babies. You’re her daughter, Kylie, for now and forever. Don’t forget that.”

  I close my eyes and focus on her Gardens. When I open my eyes again, Tara and my mother are gone, and I’m surrounded by wildflowers and the waterfall again. Selene is standing by my side, and she seems to be waiting for something, and I think I know what it is.

  “I was wrong.”

  Selene nods. “You were,” she says. “Your mother always loved you, and always will. Remember that,” she says sadly.

  “You haven’t found Pandia yet, have you?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  “No, I haven’t. I must leave again. I’ll be visiting Tara and your friends to ask for their help. I’ll let Tara know that you’re alright, and that you’re resting in peace.”

  “Do me a favor and tear her a new one for cutting herself.”

  Selene nods her head. “I may not return directly after talking to them,” she says, looking at me. Then Selene begins to glow, before vanishing in a burst of silver light.

  Chapter Three

  I kill the time until Selene returns by scaling the waterfall near my willow tree. Large rocky points jut out from the face of the waterfall, providing proper places to grip and get a hold. Carefully, I climb my way toward the top, loving the feeling of water droplets splashing my skin and the breeze on my back.

  The hour it takes for me to reach the top is almost relaxing enough to take my mind off of Tara and what’s happening right now. She’s in pain, and is suffering emotionally. Pandia is missing, and has been possibly abducted by a quartet of ruthless goddesses trying to take over not only the moon, but Earth as well. Halfway up the waterfall, my wrist begins to burn, and I see the familiar crescent moon-shaped mark on my wrist.

  I can’t stop and worry though, because it won’t do me any good. It’s not like I can help Tara from the Immortal Realms. I’ll have to trust Selene to do it for me.

  When I do reach the top, I take a second to look around and admire the beauty of Selene’s Eternal Gardens. This place is absolutely stunning and, even though I’m not entirely happy at the thought of being dead now, this isn’t a bad place to spend all of eternity. The only thing that could make it better is if Tara was here with me.

  She will be. Someday.

  The area to my left begins glowing, and I look over my shoulder just as Selene appears in a burst of silver light. Immediately, I know that something is incredibly, horribly wrong. Her eyes are wide and fearful, and she looks shell-shocked and incapable of speech.

  “Selene, what’s wrong? Is Tara alright?” I ask, thinking first that she might have taken the cutting one step farther. Then I think of Pandia, and my stomach clenches painfully. “Is it Pandia? Did you find her?”

  She takes a deep breath to calm herself. “Daray Hall is gone.”

  For a minute, her words just sink in, and I’m left speechless. My mouth goes dry, and my hands start to sweat. Daray Hall is gone? How the hell is that possible? Finally, I find my voice. “What do you mean? How can it be gone?”

  “After a failed attempt on Tara’s life in my chapel, Travis set Daray Hall on fire, and the place burned to the ground, with more than a dozen of my chosen children inside.”

  “Oh, my god! Is Tara alright? What about Chloe and the others? Did Kaven get out alright?”

  Selene nods. “Yes, Tara and your friends are alright, as are Kaven, Carlos, and Jillian. However, as they were fleeing, Travis made another attempt on Tara’s life, and Carlos threw her out of harm’s way, taking the arrow meant for her. He nearly bled to death, before Chloe revealed her gift for healing.”

  “Gift for healing?”

  “Through my guidance, Chloe was able to completely heal Carlos, though he will have a scar for the rest of his life. Now, they’re recovering at Jillian’s childhood home, but they will not be able to stay there indefinitely. The war is escalating,
and I’m now positive that it can’t be stopped. If my chosen children are to survive, they’re going to need all the help they can get.”

  “Selene, what–”

  “Kylie, I want to send you back.”

  For the second time in less than three minutes, I’m left speechless. I think about what she’s saying. It’s not possible. The dead stay dead! You can’t just send someone back, can you? She’s an all-powerful goddess; maybe she has the ability to do this…

  “You can do that? Send me back?” My voice is little more than a hoarse whisper, and right now I’m busy thinking of the possibilities. “Why haven’t you told me this sooner? I could have stayed with Tara!”

  “Kylie, you died in the graveyard because you were meant to; I had no hand in that. Fate is a strange thing. And I said I want to send you back, not that I’ll definitely be able to.”

  “How do you send me back?”

  “Well, right now, your soul resides here in my Eternal Gardens, and to send you back I have to merge your soul back with your body. Unfortunately, I do not hold claim to your body. Hades, Lord of the Underworld, does. He will decide whether or not to give you back your body.”

  “So, we just ask him for my body back. We’ll explain everything to him, about the goddesses and about Daray Hall, and he’ll have to agree that sending me back is best. I mean, if you believe you should send me back, he should too, right?”

  “It’s not that simple. Hades is a very selfish, self-centered god, and he never does anything for the sake of what is right or needed. He’ll most likely either need a trade of some kind, or he’ll force you to partake in challenges that test your strength, spirit, or intelligence.”

  “Let’s go.”

  “Kylie–”

  “What are we waiting for? My home just burned to the ground, some of its residents are dead, and my friends are being targeted! Let’s go.”

  She nods her head, and extends her hand to me. “Before we go, I have to warn you: do not speak to Hades unless spoken to. Ever. He is very cunning, and will likely try and trick you. If you’re not careful, you may very well end up a slave for the rest of eternity.”