I opened the brass urn and scattered my mother’s ashes over the Pacific Ocean. They sailed through the gentle breeze, into the boundless sea, like magical dust trailing behind a fairy heading for home.
My bare feet gripped the craggy rock where I stood above the shoreline. In the fiery evening sky, a group of pelicans soared gracefully above the water. One by one, they dove into the water, creating splashing sounds that echoed in my immortal ears.
Wiping the tears from my eyes, I bent down. My dark red hair fell in a curtain around my face. I tucked it behind my ears as I shoved the urn into my backpack. From the side pocket, I retrieved my tin whistle. Mom always loved when I played for her, so I would play her a song now.
The tip of the whistle rested comfortably between my lips. I placed my fingers on top of the holes, but then hesitated as the sound of a barking dog reached my ears. I glanced over my shoulder. A black lab ran past me, followed by a handful of runners in matching orange and white track uniforms. All eyes were trained on the dog, except for a dirty blond-haired guy who appeared to be around my age. His gaze latched onto my white gauze sundress, then rested on my bronze chest. He smiled and winked when my hand went to the crocheted spaghetti straps, tugging it back to pull my breast firmly into the V cut of my empire waist. He winked again, and I turned to the ocean.
I had hoped for some solitude on Cannon Beach and thought with it being the end of August and late in the evening that would be possible. I had considered Nathan’s suggestion on renting a speed boat to release Mom’s ashes farther into the sea, but this spot was where Mom had released my father’s ashes when I was four, fourteen years before. Therefore, I’d do the same for her, regardless if I were to become a spectacle for all to gawk at.
Nathan stood below me, staring at the guy’s back, burning a hole into it. And even though he had given me immortality five months before, he still remained overprotective. He looked up, his deep blues locking onto mine, their hardness melting into molten liquid. I licked my lips, feeling the warmth Nathan only shared with me. It never ceased to amaze me how he always took my breath away. My gaze fell onto his khaki pants, rolled to his knees, the surf lapping at his tan shins, then to his muscular arms, and short brown hair with the blond-tipped spikes.
“It’s okay, Paige,” Tree said on the other side of me, diverting my attention. He had his arm around Carrie’s waist, and when I looked at him, he jerked his head, his perfectly straight black Mohawk pointing in the direction the runners had gone. “You can play now.”
I took a deep breath and resumed my position, slowly blowing air into the whistle. I closed my eyes, allowing the breathy music to unfold into the eternal abyss where pleasant dreams and happiness resided. This Celtic song would reach those boundaries, straight to my mom. I believed that because I had seen and conversed with her and my father before I had turned immortal. And somehow, I could feel her presence now, her soft hand on my shoulder.
“It’s lovely, Paige, but you must stop. They’re coming,” Mom whispered into my ear, surprising me. I glanced at Nathan. He nodded toward Haystack Rock, a basalt monolith two-hundred and thirty-five feet high, jutting out of the ocean. I stopped playing, and followed his gaze to the rock.
“What is it?” Tree asked, reaching into his baggy camouflage pocket, squinting in the direction we were staring at.
A man clad in black jerked his head from the binoculars he held, then inched his way behind the rock, disappearing from sight.
“I think there was a man watching us,” Carrie said, pointing in that direction, slipping her sunglasses in the front bib of her red plaid capri overalls. Tree opened her hand and stuck something in it. It was a small, black canister. Pepper Spray.
I silently chastised myself for allowing them to come here with me, knowing the dark spirits either wanted to torture me, kidnap me for Aosoth, or use me as a bargaining chip. Aosoth was a heartless female dark spirit who had wanted me to find King Solomon’s ring, then give it to her. But now that the “old one” had found the ring, she was going to want me to find Solomon’s incantations for her since the ring was impotent without it. And even though Tree and Carrie knew about me becoming immortal, they didn’t know much else.
The wind began to pick up, swirling my hair and dress about. The surf softly roared as the low tides sloshed against the rocks, slowly gaining momentum. When I spotted ten Goth-looking people headed our way, I snatched my backpack, slung it over my shoulder, and stuck the whistle in the side pocket. Jumping down, I took Nathan’s hand, feeling wet sand squish between my toes.
“What do you think we should do?” I asked him.
“Do about what?” Carrie asked, moving next to me. “It looks like that guy left,” she added, focusing on Haystack Rock.
I pointed to our left. “There are ten people walking toward us, and they could be dark spirits.”
Both Carrie and Tree squinted in that direction, but their human vision was too weak to see, and the darkening sky didn’t help either.
Tree frowned. “But I thought your ears ring when they’re around.”
“They do, but they have to be within a certain radius in order for that to happen,” I told him. “That’s why they’ve been keeping a certain distance, so Nathan and I won’t detect them.”
“I think I see them now,” Carrie said, staring off into that direction, poking her chin out, still squinting. “It looks like they’re walking shoulder to shoulder in a straight line.”
“They are,” Nathan said with a sigh. He let go of my hand and turned to us. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. Tree and Carrie, stay behind Paige and me.” He glanced down at their hands and nodded in approval. “I see you both have pepper spray. Smart thinking. Keep that hand in your pocket, but don’t let go of the pepper spray. I’m going to try to handle this on my own and–”
“Handle it on your own?” I said, dropping my backpack in irritation. There was no way I’d stand back and allow him to handle this on his own. I didn’t spend my whole damn summer training with Anwar and him on a deserted island in the Baltic Sea to stand here and do nothing.
“Uh-oh. I know that tone of voice,” Tree said with a half-smile, looking at Nathan. “You just pissed Paige off.”
“I can really see them now,” Carrie said, sounding nervous. “They look like vampires or something.” She turned to Nathan. “Paige isn’t a helpless mortal anymore, Nathan. I get you want to protect her, but she can kick some ass now, so cut her some slack.” She hooked her arm through mine and hugged it. “Paige can be my bodyguard any day.”
“Thank you, Carrie,” I said, smiling, hearing Tree chuckling under his breath, surprised at how lax he was considering our current situation.
Nathan ran a hand through his hair and took a step closer to us. “Look. I agree whole-heartedly with you, Carrie. However, you don’t know the whole situation and–”
“I knew you two were holding out on us,” Tree said, raising his eyebrows. “And I think you should tell Carrie and me what’s going on.”
My ears began to ring, and I pushed Carrie behind me.
“We don’t have time,” Nathan said in a rush, looking over his shoulder. “There are too many of them, and if things get ugly, I’m going to have to kill them.” He took my hand, and we turned our backs on them. “Remember to keep the pepper spray ready,” he whispered over his shoulder as the group approached us. I could hear Carrie’s heart racing, and again wished I’d never allowed them to talk me into coming here with me. I should have known it wasn’t safe for them to be around me in a less populated area.
The group stopped short a half a yard away from us. There were six males and four females. All of them looked to be in their early twenties. I recognized the guy at the end on the far left. The binoculars now hung from his neck. He had a smug look on his face. I drew myself up, shoulders back, refusing to allow him to intimidate me.
Soft giggles erupted from the girls, grouped together to my right. The platinum blonde one with the short, spiky hairs
tyle, pursed her black lips when my gaze fell upon her. Her brown eyes had flecks of gold in them, and they were heavily lined in black. They swelled in cockiness, followed by a twisted smile. Then a yellow laser beam of light swiped across her irises. She was a young dark spirit, which meant I could cast her out.
Good.
I didn’t like her attitude.
The guy in the middle with the shiny, long black hair, stepped forward. Nathan took half a step in front of me, spreading his legs, positioning his body into a protective stance. I didn’t budge. I mean, honestly, Nathan was much stronger and experienced than I was, so I decided to hang back and would make a move only if I had to.
The guy’s startling blue eyes took in Nathan’s position with caution. He slowly raised his hands. “I have no quarrel with you,” he said. “My name is Ayperos, and I’m only here to deliver a message to you.”
“And what message might that be?” Nathan said in a stiff voice.
Ayperos’ eyes slid off of Nathan and onto me. A beam of light swiped across them, but the beam was much larger than normal. I then realized he had to be an older dark spirit. Not as ancient as the “old one” whose eyes completely glowed, but old enough. I wondered if Nathan would be able to cast him out if he had to. I didn’t think so since Nathan was too young an immortal to do so. It sucked because Nathan was a hundred and seventy-five years old, and you’d think he’d be able to do it. But no, it didn’t work that way. Now, if Anwar were here, he could, but he had left town a couple days before.
“Aosoth is regaining her energy, and she has allies who will help her get what she wants, which is you, Paige,” Ayperos said. He reluctantly looked away from me to address Nathan. “The ‘old one’ wanted me to relay that message to you.”
“Why would the ‘old one’ do that?” I asked, not getting why he’d care, but then the answer came to me. If Aosoth were to get a hold of me first, it could jeopardize his plan to use me to find Solomon’s incantations for him. But then again, why would he screw around, giving Aosoth the opportunity to nab me before him? It didn’t make sense.
Ayperos’ gaze fell back on me, and he stared for an uncomfortable moment until Tree cleared his throat behind Nathan. I’d almost forgotten Tree and Carrie were behind us. I glanced at Tree, and his eyes shifted to Ayperos, then to me. I knew Tree well enough to know what he was silently saying. This guy was attracted to me, which sent chills across my body.
“The ‘old one’ was right,” Ayperos said more to himself than to us. “You are more beautiful than your grandmother Kora.”
I gaped at him because I never knew what my grandmother’s name was until now. A soft smile crossed his handsome face, and he nodded at the same time Nathan took a step forward, standing nose to nose with him.
“You need to back off,” Nathan said between clenched teeth. He shoved Ayperos’ chest. Ayperos stumbled backwards, his arms flailing. He collapsed against a tall, lanky dark-haired guy who had a thin chain attached to his nose ring all the way to his ear. It flapped against his cheek when he caught Ayperos and lifted him to his feet, pushing him forward. The group advanced on us, and I took a step forward. Ayperos raised his fist above his shoulder. The group stopped. He brushed his pinstripe bondage shirt, and wiped his hands on his black jeans.
He glared at Nathan. “Like I said, I have no quarrel with you.” He paused, and his angular face contorted into a hideous mask of righteous evil. The laser beam of light swiped across his eyes again. “At least, not yet.”
“Then get on with it,” Nathan barked, unfazed by Ayperos’ obvious threat.
“To answer Paige’s earlier question.” Ayperos’ eyes flicked to mine, and I swear they softened at that very moment. “I was once one of the ‘old one’s’ commanders, and he trusts me.”
“But why would he want to warn me?” I asked. I could hear the sea crashing against the rocks in violent waves, and the temperature was dropping. My arms were cold, so I hugged them to my body. Nathan moved closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Tree and Carrie stepped beside me. I noticed Carrie still kept her hand in her pocket, which gave me comfort.
His soft smile returned, produced this time by affection, which he defiantly displayed in front of Nathan through his words. “It’s all part of the plan, Paige. And the ‘old one’ fancies you.” He looked at Carrie, and inclined his head toward her. “He likes you too and really enjoyed your long make out sessions.” His quick eyes went to Tree, and he smirked.
“You son-of-a-bitch,” Tree said, shielding Carrie who made a squeaking sound. I glanced at her. She looked pale.
“Stay back, Tree,” Nathan said, stepping in front of him, pushing the hand holding his pepper spray back. “He’s only razing you.”
Ayperos laughed and so did his group. “Well, I can also say this,” he said between laughter. He pointed at Nathan and Tree. “He doesn’t like you two.” He swayed his finger to Tree, as if in a drunken daze. “And the reason why you’re still alive is because of Carrie. But if you ever lose her favor”–he spread his arms out, palms up–“you’re fair game.” He bowed his head, then turned to his group. “Our business is done here. Let’s go have some fun.”
“Wait!” I said. I didn’t want him to leave without answering a question I’d been wondering about.
Ayperos slowly pivoted. “Yes, Paige.”
“What’s the ‘old one’s’ name?”
A conspiratorial smile crossed his face. “That my dear will be revealed to you by the ‘old one’ himself.” He tilted his head to the side in mocking thought. “Not even Anwar, the six-hundred-year-old African knows his name.” He raised his hands and shook them in the air, puckering his lips. “Wooooo, the Almighty Anwar, whom you think so highly of.” He pointed a sharp finger at us. “Let me tell you something about Anwar,” he said, his eyes turning cold, his lips tight on each word he spoke. “He has his own agenda, and eventually you’ll find out what it is. He’s not as noble as you think.” Snorting and snickering broke free behind him, and half of the group were nodding in agreement. And then they left, leaving the four of us in stunned silence.
About the Author
REBEKKAH FORD grew up in a family that dealt with the paranormal. Her parents’ Charles and Geri Wilhelm were the directors of the UFO Investigators League in Fairfield, Ohio. They also investigated ghost hauntings and Bigfoot sightings in addition to extraterrestrial cases. Growing up in this type of environment and having the passion for writing is what drove Rebekkah at an early age to write tales dealing with the paranormal. Her fascination with the unknown is what led her to write the Beyond the Eyes trilogy and its companion, Tangled Roots.
Rebekkah resides in rural North Dakota, in a farming community of about 1,800 people. She loves where she’s lives and has been known to call her small town Mayberry. She has an irreverent sense of humor, adores coffee, and yummy food makes her happy. Besides creating stories, she loves books, antiques, animals, connecting with her fans and other authors, and watching her favorite TV shows, among other things.
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Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 63
