by Jen Pretty
Colvin scooped me up and held me tight, his arms crushing my wing, but I didn't care. I just waited while Falcor took out his phone and called Nick. I hadn't been able to get a hold of him since we left but hoped that Falcor might have better luck.
As the seconds ticked past and I knew the phone wasn't connecting, my heart stopped in my chest. Something was wrong. I knew it before we even left Phoenix. I had felt it. But my own selfish sadness at losing Nick had blocked out the wrongness of it.
I needed my damn body back. And we needed to go find Nick.
I struggled out of Colvin's arms and he let go reluctantly. I cawed loud, but it was no use. Nobody could understand me. This was fucking ridiculous.
"I'll follow you, Selena," Zander said as he got in a car.
"I'll take this one home," Falcor said, indicating Colvin. "Then meet up with you after I get the flight organized." It was almost like they could read my mind. We had a plan.
I took flight and flapped quickly back toward the city. I made it back long before the car did, so I landed in the yard and hopped forward to the window. I was still laying there in the basement. Someone has stabbed me in the chest. That wouldn't tickle. I hoped it wasn't enough to kill me. My magic had to be pretty much gone and there was a lot of blood pooled around my body. I stepped forward and right where the window had been an invisible field stopped me from entering.
Stupid warlock bastards. I sighed, then flew up into an apple tree to wait. There were caterpillars in the tree, slowly chewing on the leaves, but I resisted the urge to gobble them up. No matter what Crow wanted, I would not eat bugs.
When my attention drifted, I found myself moving closer to the insects. Finally, I flew up onto the roof to avoid the whole situation.
It wasn't long until the car showed up and they all filed out. A vampire I hadn't met was with Zander.
He was tall and lean, but his muscles were obvious through his t-shirt. His hair was cut short to his head, making him look like a military officer, but there was something in his eyes that suggested he was wise beyond his appearance. Since he was a vampire, he could have been a lot older than he looked.
I watched as he took in all the details of the house, eyeing the windows and yard suspiciously.
"I'll go in first," he said, pushing past the others and taking the lead. "Wait here."
I flew down to the ground and across the yard to the small window in the basement, getting more impatient as the minutes ticked past. What was he doing? Making himself a sandwich in the kitchen?
When he finally entered the basement, he had to duck his head to fit, but his flashlight swept the area, stopping on my body only momentarily before searching the rest of the empty space. Apparently satisfied that no villains were going to jump out from the dark corner, he crept forward and inspected my body.
"Holy fuck, she's gorgeous," he muttered before bending low and scooping me up.
I wasn't sure how to take that. I was basically dead with a knife in my chest and my body looked like trash thanks to my time rolling around on the dirty floor in the basement.
As his heavy boots disappeared up the stairs to the main house, I shook out of my shock and flapped around the corner of the house.
The pull to be back in my body was so strong I just rolled up into the air and dove straight at it. Not even caring that the tall vampire was still holding me in his arms like I was a bride on my wedding day.
Falcor shouted as I approached, but there was no stopping me. I dove straight for my chest just as Falcor snatched the blade out.
Blood sprayed up a split second before I slammed into my own chest and felt the shift from crow to human form. My body stretched out, held by strong arms. I convulsed in the normal panic of having a huge ass feather down my throat, but this time my body screamed in pain as I gained consciousness.
"Shh, you're okay, Selena," the vampire holding me said.
I couldn't see, but the voice was so close and calm I believed it was true. My hand flung up toward my face, but I couldn't make it work. I needed to clear the feather, but my chest throbbed with the rhythm of my heart, making me weak and shaky.
"She has a feather down her throat," Falcor said, unreasonably calm. I would have flipped him the bird if I'd had any control or wasn't dying.
A hand pried open my mouth. I gagged as fingers slid down my throat. It seemed like hours, but it was probably just a moment before my airway was clear and my body shuddered violently. Coughing, I managed to keep from puking, but only just barely.
The wound on my chest was already closing as magic flowed into my body, filling me up.
I panted a few more breaths before I managed to swallow.
"Fuck me," I rasped.
"Can you take her to the Sanctuary? We'll wait here," the deep, unfamiliar voice asked as I finally got control of my hand enough to wipe the tears from my eyes. "I'll drive the car back."
I was shuffled from the strong vampire arms and into Falcor's.
"Yup, we got her until you get back."
"Thank you," I muttered before burying my face in Falcor's chest.
"You got it, Selena," the comforting voice of the vampire said, and I closed my eyes.
CHAPTER FIVE
I woke but didn't want to open my eyes. I was warm and comfortable. I could tell from the tingle of my magic that I was in the Sanctuary. At first, my sleep-addled mind thought the slight pull of my magic was Nick, but that thought evaporated as I remembered what had happened since the last time I was here with Nick. Some vampire was in the room, but I wouldn't believe it wasn't Nick until I saw for myself.
I peeked one eye open and there sitting in the corner of the room with his head tipped back against the wall was the tall lanky vampire who had pulled me out of the crawlspace under that house.
When his head tipped up, I closed my eyes again, not quite ready to meet all the problems in my life. I wasn't sure if this new vampire was going to be a problem, but my past experience said he would be. Even if it was accidental. Some shit was going to go down.
"I know you're awake."
I scoffed. Typical vampire. That thought sent a lump to my throat. The only other vampire who had said that to me was Nick. Had I really caused Nick's death? Was he already dead?
"Want me to get Colvin? Or Falcor?"
I shook my head. I knew if I opened my mouth my voice would crack, and all my strength would be gone. I'd never recover.
"Niri?"
As if his name conjured him, the door creaked open and the soothing voice of the old man floated through the room, cutting my misery in half.
"Selena. Nothing is set in stone yet."
I swallowed twice before daring to speak. "That man said they would kill him now. We can't know unless you've heard from Nick. Have you?"
Niri looked like he didn't want to answer me, but shook his head, his jowls shaking beneath his beard. I burrowed a bit further into the blanket that covered me.
"I might have killed him, then."
"You didn't kill anyone," the vampire in the corner said with so much force my eyes shot to his hard features.
"There is no point assuming anyone has been killed unless we find proof," Niri said in a much calmer tone.
The vampire leaned back in his chair again and looked away.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, Selena," Niri said. "I would like you to meet your new vampire guard. This is Jackson."
I slid my eyes back to the vampire.
"You can call me Jax."
"The two of you can get to know each other on the flight to Phoenix," Niri said as he turned back to the door. "Falcor is in the dining room with Colvin. That little boy has been quite the handful waiting for you to wake up." I could hear the amusement in Niri's voice, but that got me moving.
Poor Colvin had always been afraid of Falcor and I had just left him with the warlock. If I had been thinking clearly, I wouldn't have done that.
As I strode through the halls, I t
hought back to the look on Colvin's face when he arrived with Falcor. He hadn't looked scared.
As I rounded the corner and entered the dining room, I had expected a hoard of children, but what I found instead was Falcor and Colvin, each immersed in a book. They sat side by side as if they were old friends.
I cleared my throat and Colvin's head flipped toward me, a grin growing on his face as he scrambled off the bench seat and scurried around the tables to meet me.
"Hey, buddy," I said with a chuckle as he launched himself the last few steps. I scooped him up, letting his feet dangle around my knees as I hugged the snot out of him. "Thank you for finding me."
"You're welcome." He giggled and hugged me back, his arms around my neck.
I set his feet on the ground and crouched in front of him, looking over his shoulder toward where Falcor still sat, ignoring our exuberance. I dropped my voice to a whisper. "I thought you didn't like Falcor."
Colvin bit his lip. "I thought he was the one who hurt you."
I studied him. "When?"
"I just knew the man used magic. I only saw him from behind in my dream." He dropped his eyes to the floor and kicked his foot at the tiles.
I smiled. He was so sweet. "So, Falcor is okay then?"
Colvin nodded. "He got me this book." I hadn't even noticed that his little hand still gripped a thick old book with the words magic primer in scrolling print on the front. "I'm going to learn to do magic just like the warlocks."
"I'm sure you will," I said, straightening.
Colvin frowned and took my hand in a tight grip. "Niri said I had to go back to class once you were awake."
"You better go then."
"Just don't leave before dinner. Falcor said your flight isn't till late tonight."
I nodded and bent to give him another hug before he ran off, still clutching his book on magic spells.
I crossed the room and slid into the bench seat beside Falcor. "Did you know?"
He didn't glance up but nodded.
"Why didn't you say anything? You could have saved him the trouble of being afraid of you."
He closed his book and set it on the table. "I had a best friend once. Eric." He paused, maybe deciding if he really wanted to tell me, before finally going on. "He was a warlock and had pre-cognition, like Colvin."
"Is Colvin a warlock?" I asked suddenly.
"No, Colvin is something different." Falcor shook his head and paused.
I waited to see if he would continue his story.
"Eric once told me that one day I would push him, and he would die. Just like that."
I stayed quiet. Falcor never talked about himself or his life. I was anxious that if I even breathed too hard, I would interrupt him and this side of him would be gone forever.
"We grew up together, he and I. Taking turns doing daredevil stunts and using our magic to play tricks on each other. Pranks. Just practical jokes."
Falcor's eyes slid to the cafeteria doors, the ones we frequently used to go in and out of the Sanctuary if he wasn't sifting us in.
"One day, we were playing in the forest behind the Sanctuary. Climbing trees and skipping rocks on the little stream that runs to the east. We were still on Sanctuary grounds, but just barely. There is a small area around the edge that is kind of like the gap between the Sanctuary lands and normal human lands. The magic there is a bit wild, but the space is so narrow, and it fluctuates."
Falcor shook his head again. "We were using magic to pull saplings down and then launching rocks into the river. It was ridiculous, but boys are stupid. Eric decided to climb onto the sapling and try to launch himself. He thought he could stop himself before he hit the ground or just shift out. I told him not to. I tried to stop him, even knocked him down as he tried to get on the fucking sapling... I pushed him. And he died anyway."
Falcor took a deep breath then rose to his feet. "Not everything they see happens the way they say it does, but that doesn't mean the outcome isn't the same. Colvin is right to fear me. I probably will do something someday to earn that fear he had. We leave at seven pm."
With that, he turned and strode out of the cafeteria. His story was sad, but it was hardly his fault that his friend died. I suppose it didn't really matter how he died. He was still dead. I felt the same way about Vanessa. It may not have been exactly my fault, but if it wasn't for me, she would still be alive and that was something that haunted me every day.
I grabbed a plate and filled it with food. I wasn't particularly hungry but knew I would need to eat if I wanted to be strong enough to fight whatever was coming. The warlocks and witches were planning something. Something that they wanted me for, and it had something to do with the vampires. And Nick.
My stomach dropped again. If Nick was still alive, he was definitely in deep shit.
CHAPTER SIX
I scraped my plate and went in search of my team, such as it was. I needed to get moving and find Nick. If he was alive, I would find him and take care of anyone who happened to be in the way. I was feeling bloodthirsty when I found Jax and Falcor in the auditorium swinging swords at each other. Real steel swords.
I leaned against the wall and waited for them to take a break, but after a few minutes, it became evident that they were in it for a long haul, so I slid to the floor and watched. They both had their shirts off, so it wasn't exactly a hardship. Their muscles flexed and twisted as they brought their swords overhead and swung them in long slashing movements. The reverberations of the steel hitting steel rang through the room with each stroke, adding a rhythm to their grunts and growls. It was very primal.
When Jax finally swept his sword low, knocking Falcor's feet out from under him, their friendly sparring was over. The tip of Jax's blade stopped right at Falcor's jugular and they both paused for a couple of heavy breaths before cackles rang out.
Jax dropped his sword to his side and stretched out an arm, helping a smiling Falcor to his feet. I had never seen Falcor look so relaxed and happy. It seemed my new team was more united than my old one.
That thought reminded me that we needed to go.
"You two done?" I asked, getting to my feet.
"Don't be grumpy, Selena," Falcor said. "You are the one who slept late."
I scowled. "We need to leave soon."
"We will meet you in the cafeteria in ten," Jax said, picking up his t-shirt and wiping his chest and face.
"Fine," I said, turning and striding back out the door. I was annoyed mostly with myself. I shouldn't be drooling over other men when I had probably got Nick killed or at least he was being held captive somewhere. I also shouldn't be taking out my frustration on Falcor or Jax. Neither of them had done anything wrong.
I gathered my bag from the room and took it to the empty cafeteria. Fishing around inside, my fingers brushed the leather sheath of the blade the witches had given me, but I didn't pull it out. I would need to keep it on me though if my new power meant I couldn't cut myself with a pocket knife.
Finally, my fingers closed on the book of monsters that I got from the vampire librarian in Canada. I flipped through, reminding myself there were worse things than warlocks on a power trip and blood-thirsty vampires. This new war between the two races was secondary to finding Nick, but if I could stop them and save Nick at the same time, that would be fine.
Jax and Falcor finally arrived, carrying their bags.
"You ready?" Falcor asked.
"I've been waiting for you," I reminded him.
He grinned and took my arm, wrapping his other hand around Jax's forearm. A slight shifting of the world and a blink later, we were in our favourite alcove at the airport. The one I had been abducted from by the fake security guard. I pressed a bit closer to Falcor and he slung his arm over my shoulders.
"You're fine," he said. It was more of a dismissal of my natural fear than words of comfort, but whatever.
I stepped forward, sliding out from under his arm and strode through the crowd to the big screen with all the departures an
d arrivals.
"Which flight is ours?" I asked over my shoulder.
"1402," Jax replied.
I found our gate and turned, ready to march over there, but Jax grabbed my sleeve.
"We are a team, Selena. You aren't doing this alone."
"I know," I said.
"Well, then slow down. We can't go running into this situation."
"I'm just looking for our flight," I replied. We were still hundreds of miles from Phoenix.
Jax nodded. "I know."
All right, so he was right. I was planning to go charging in as soon as we got off the plane in Phoenix. But I didn't need to tell him that. I just couldn't handle all the waiting around. I couldn't handle not knowing if Nick was okay.
When they called that our flight was boarding, I was still first in line, but I felt less panicked. Jax was right. I would need to be smart. If a bunch of warlocks and witches had Nick, I would need to figure out how to get him back. I was done thinking he was dead. He couldn't be. That would be the thing that finally broke me, so he had to be alive.
I collapsed into my seat on the plane, feeling déjà vu, again. It seemed all I did lately was fly around the country. I was in a center seat Jax was seated beside me and Falcor was across the aisle. But a stranger was in the window seat, so that pretty much killed any chance we had to talk about the situation.
Luckily, I was still tired, so instead, I tipped my head back and let my eyes fall closed. Sleeping wouldn't get me there faster, but it would feel like it, so I let myself drift off.
A loud snore woke me up and I realized it was mine and that I was drooling on Jax's shoulder. "Shit, sorry," I said wiping my chin and Jax's shirt with my hand.
He chuckled and shook his head. "No worries. I think you lulled our neighbour though."
I looked over to window seat guy and he was out like a light, his mouth hanging open. He wasn't snoring though.
"How far are we from Phoenix?" I asked, returning my eyes to the vampire beside me.
"You were only asleep for an hour."
"Ugh," I tipped my head back on the seat.
