by S Cinders
I sat inside the gym watching in sheer amazement as Emily kicked Shana’s ass. I never in a million years thought that this day would come. It was about damn time.
I saw that beautiful smile cross her lips as she lay on the floor breathing heavily. She wiped it away before turning back to her student, but I knew that she was proud of her protégé. They have been training hard for a month now since I had joined them.
I am not sure what the change had been, other than Patrick had moved into Emily’s room permanently, much to my delight, just because it pissed Ryan off so much.
“I think that is enough for today,” Shana called out, grabbing a towel. “You have done well.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“You were amazing Emily, I can’t believe the growth I have seen. Some of the magic is so advanced and you are moving so quickly I can’t even see where it’s coming from. I’m proud of you.” I pulled her into a hug, sweaty mess and all. She deserved it.
“Get your hands off my wife!” Patrick yelled from Goddess knows where.
“You aren’t even married dick wad. She may wake up and decide she wants a real man.” I rolled my eyes and gave her a wink.
Emily giggled and gathered her things to go and change. Patrick met her at the door shooting me an evil glare. I grinned like the best buddy I am. It’s good to have friends like that.
“Must you always yank his chain?”
I turned to the current Latin goddess in the room. “I can’t say I ever turn down someone wanting to yank my chain princess. Why shouldn’t I return the favor?”
As predicted she turned ten shades of red. I know it was bad form to tease, but I have never in my entire life claimed to be a gentleman and I’d be damned if I started now.
“Classy Jay,” She rolled her eyes and tried to push past me. But the thing was that I was about 175lb and she was maybe 102lb so that wasn’t happening.
I grabbed her tiny form by the hips and pressed her close to me. “I’ve never had an issue with you being close to me sweetheart. If I remember correctly, it was you that had the problem with that. But you know as well as I do that I don’t like to be pushed around. Remember who you are dealing with.”
She flushed red and tried to pull away. I let her struggle for a moment before letting go.
“You know why I had to push you away.” She pushed a lock of her raven curls behind her ear and looked for a moment to be terribly young. But I knew better. I’d fallen for this little vixen before and I’d not fall for her innocent act again.
“I know why you think I had to be pushed away.”
She looked me in the eye, her cheek bones sharp in her tiny face, her lips red and her Spanish eyes blazing. “I had no choice.”
We both stared at each other, chests heaving, emotions roiled between us. Suddenly the futility of it all caught up with me. I’d had this fight with her way too many times before. This wasn’t a road I was willing to go down again.
“There is always a choice princess. It just wasn’t me.”
Her eyes filled with tears and I felt like the bastard I truly was. “Hell, I am sorry Shana. I didn’t mean to fight with you. I always seem to fight with you.”
She swallowed her emotions the best that she could and then walked away from me like the royalty that she was. Turning at the last moment before reaching the door she called back, “Someday I will choose for myself, and when I do you had better be ready.”
Well damn, what in the hell did she mean by that?
CHAPTER 37 - James
Every pounding footfall on the red dirt of the canyon cliff propelled me, my heart racing in rhythm with the sounds of the men chasing behind me. How did they keep catching up to me? Not bragging I was the fastest runner in my COW training group.
Not just out of me and Patrick, but the original COW training group of over 200 warlocks and witches. I have always been fast and I have always been able to outrun whatever was chasing me.
Running on a cliff edge might seem to some as slightly suicidal, but to me it was the only option in this instance. With the enemy behind me I had just as much chance as taking a wrong step as they did, perhaps less so since I had been living here for the past year.
Besides I figured that if they did get to close I would much rather fall thousands of feet and take my chances with death than having all my magic sucked out of me by Ryan and Emily’s bastard father. And really who else could it be?
Out of nowhere I felt shoved to the side and almost lost my gait as I struggled to stay on top of the mountain.
“Are you trying to die?” Shana screamed at me.
I grabbed her arm and made her keep up my pace, “Carl’s men are just behind me, you may have cost us precious seconds. I hope that you are in the mood to die today.”
She looked like she wanted to spit at me, good I felt like spitting at her too. We ran for at least thirty more minutes and I should admit she was much faster than I ever would have given her credit for. I also have to be pissed as hell at her because running when your dick is rock hard is one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever done to date.
My dick has never had more responses from a woman that he has never touched in real life before than the ever mystical and magical Shana. Reason number one million why when this is all over I am going to find out where she is going and go to the other side of the earth.
“They are stopping.”
“Huh?” I knew she had said something, but with the blood all in my shorts I was struggling keeping up.
Shana looked behind us, “They are not chasing us anymore.”
We slowed down to a walk, both panting heavily and dripping with sweat. I couldn’t help it I was dying of heat, so I pulled my t-shirt over my head and used it as a towel. As I went to put it back on I noticed her jaw had hit the top of her chest. It looks like I had finally found a kink in the impenetrable armor the princess always wore.
I knew that I had an impressive body. I spent a lot of time in the gym developing and keeping my body toned. I flexed my arms innocently as I reached behind me to rub the back of my neck and I saw her eyes go from my arms down my chest and across my muscled abs… bingo. The girl had lady boner if I had ever seen it.
Her eyes were slightly glazed and she stumbled just catching herself before she fell. It felt like Christmas and my birthday all at once.
“Are you alright?” I had to ask.
“Fine,” she bit off and we jogged in silence a few minutes more.
“How did you know where I was?” I asked suddenly wondering how Shana came to know how to find me on my morning run when I had been bombarded with Carl’s men.
She flushed heavily, “Lucky guess.”
I grinned, “I don’t think so princess.”
“You are such an ass Jay.”
“You like my ass? Shana, you say the sweetest things sugar.” I knew I was baiting the wolf, but hey, I never said that I was a bright man.
“Why do you always do that?” She fumed. Finally, the cabin was insight and we pulled to a stop. She grabbed my arm and swung me around. “Why do you always get under my skin and make me so angry? I want to smack you and hurt you!”
“You’re into kink? Well, I guess I didn’t see that coming princess, but sure we can give that a try.”
The next thing I knew I was trying to come out of a black fog. Shana had climbed on top of me, not going to lie that felt amazing, but there were tears running down her face.
“Jay! Jay! I think I killed him! Apple, hurry up! Apple what is taking so long?” She was hysterically crying and I wanted to reassure her but my head was pounding so badly.
Then I heard other voices around us, it sounded like everyone was there. Shana tried to get off me but I gripped her thighs. There was no way I was letting her get up and showing my massive erection to Patrick’s grandmother. I don’t care if she looked like a playboy bunny or not, a grandma is a grandma.
“He’s fine,” Ryan told them. I could hear the hum
or in his voice.
“How can you tell?” Apple asked wonderingly.
“Anyone that can have that much of a death grip on a girl’s thighs isn’t at death’s door.”
Apple snort laughed along with Patrick. How did we not know they were related sooner?
“Let’s give them some privacy now?” Nana suggested but before they could go I remembered what had started all of this in the first place. Opening my eyes, I saw the people that I had come to love and call family.
“Carl and his men, they ambushed me on my morning run. They will be here any second.”
That effectively toned down my enthusiasm and I could remove the delectable Shana and rise to my feet.
“It’s time to fight.”
CHAPTER 38 - Ryan
“Get your ass of the ground boy.”
I heard my father’s voice from across the property and even though I knew that he was speaking to James that small eight-year-old boy inside of me still wanted to run and hide. I hated this man more than anyone or anything in the world.
Patrick leaned down and helped James stand. I could tell that he was not up to par. Who knows what in the hell Shana had done to him.
“So, this is where you ran off to then.”
I automatically went to Apple and wrapped my arms around her, but my father only laughed. By now all his men and women had gathered around him. It seemed he had around 50 people in number.
I am not going to lie it was intimidating considering our group consisted of nine members. We had Apple and I, Patrick and Emily, James and Shanna, the Aunts Jessica and Sally and of course Nana. Our only surprises were that we had the Applebottom family wand, two witches that could manipulate magic from all the elements and one blessed from the goddess.
“And the Oracle,” Apple whispered looking up at me guiltily.
I was shocked for a few minutes not quite understanding and then I heard my father’s cruel laugh, “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that the precious seer of our generation has been staying in your midst. Lovely to see you as always Shana, however I can say I’ve seen you look better.”
A shimmering light flashed around her and then suddenly a beautiful Latin woman stood in the place that the plain woman Shana had once been occupying. The only ones that were not surprised were in our group were Apple and wait a minute, why wasn’t James reacting?
“Eat shit and die Carl,” Shana muttered throwing her long raven locks behind her back. I know I was staring and it truly wasn’t because I was lusting over her it was more in complete shock. I mean that the actual hell was going on?
Apple rolled her eyes at me and stepped firmly on my toe, that cut my staring off quickly, I looked at her in horror ready to apologize but she shook her head.
“I know,” she muttered with a slight laugh, “I was like that for days.”
My father took another menacing steep forward, “The way I see it we have you completely out numbered. So, they best thing that you could possibly do is to join us. If you fight, we will win and we will not take survivors.”
Nana took a step towards him, “We accept the terms.”
The old lady had balls, no doubt about it. I wasn’t sure how this was all going to go down, not being in any type of magical war before. But what next crossed my ears nearly knocked me to my knees.
“No need to involve these people Dad,” Emily walked out and looked him right in the eye. “It will be you and me, winner take all.”
The smile on his face was the evilest disgusting thing I had ever seen.
I opened my mouth and…
“OVER MY DEAD BODY,” Patrick ran out to stop her and she froze him with a look. It was so wicked cool that I almost geeked out on the sheer magnitude of the magic before I realized what she was going to do. There was no way in hell I was going to let her sacrifice herself.
Again, I went to speak but she turned to me, “Ry, I can do the same thing to you if you don’t think you can handle it. But don’t get in my way here, this is my fight.”
Apple grasped my hand and spoke to my mind, ‘You need to believe in her. She finally believes in herself, and she’s amazing Ryan, she can do this.’
I turned to my father, “You will abide by these terms?”
His face carefully controlled and yet so condescendingly bigoted. There wasn’t a more fractured soul on earth, I wondered if there was any humanity left in that shell of a body.
He tipped his head, “Of course.”
“We want an oath.” Shana said dryly, “Allegiance of your men and women if you lose, it will all go to Emily, and she will decide the new magical counsel.”
He snarled at her, he knew that coming from the Oracle his men would be more apt to listen. “Fine,” he bit out, “but if she loses I don’t want your allegiance. I just want your power.”
“Transference,” Nana spat as if saying a filthy word. “Done, I wouldn’t want to live in a world with you as my leader any way.”
We all agreed and Shana preformed an oath spell over the two contenders. I have never been so terrified in all my life. I couldn’t help remembering all the times I had to hide her from him. The bruises and stealing clothes of lines of neighbor’s backyards to make sure Emily had something warm to wear.
I thought about the years we had spent apart when I had actually traded part of my soul in dark magic just to hide her from him and here they were about to face one another in a fight that could possibly destroy us all.
‘You have got to pull your shit together.’ Apple was yelling at me in my mind. And although I could tell that she was royally pissed off I could hear the deep seed of concern for me that was always there. I loved this woman more than I could have ever thought possible.
‘I love you too numb nuts, but you need to be supportive here, Emily needs you, and I do too.’
This was just what I needed to hear. I walked up behind Emily just as they were finishing the oath. I could still see the residue of the magic swirling around them.
I placed my hand on the small of her back, “You are ready for this. Remember that he doesn’t play by any set of rules, so don’t feel like you have to. And Em, always remember that I love you.”
Emily’s eyes brightened for a moment, “I love you too Ry. “
She turned to look at our father, “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 39 - Emily
I felt some small degree of guilt for freezing Patrick, but not enough to unfreeze him. I know that he would only try to save me. But what Shana finally got through my incredibly thick skull was that I didn’t need saving anymore. I love that he loves me that much, but I need to do this, it’s been a long time coming.
The other witches and warlocks made a large circle around us. The magic in the air was electric sending little sparks from my skin. He threw some cautionary spells at me and I warded them off easily.
I too, sent over some half-assed attempts, not in any way wanting to give away the goods.
I knew that he had to have some idea that I had improved over the years, but there was no way he could have any idea about who I had become.
Suddenly I felt a dark oppressive force pressing me down. I couldn’t see anything so I wasn’t sure what to throw against it. It didn’t seem to be elemental at all. I could hear him laughing, “She’s just the same as she always was, weak.”
That comment was a mistake. I lit a fire in my hand and blew it over to his pants and then let it grow as he continued to boast about himself. It wasn’t until it had started to burn his skin that he realized I had him.
The gloom immediately disappeared and he dropped to the ground trying to press the flames out. Staring at me with hatred I felt a little rush of air before I felt myself being flung back against a tree.
Damn that hurt like hell. I pulled my neck to the side to pop it and then straightened up. He wanted to play? I could play.
Throwing my hands forward I uprooted the tree and launched it at him, he batted it away easily, but I finally had hi
s attention. I wasn’t that frightened child any longer.
We were pretty evenly matched and the fight went much longer than my training sessions with Shana. I was tired, but I could tell that I was wearing on him too and that alone was enough kept my spirits up.
“Is that all you have old man?” I was sick of being the one being taunted by him. Sick of trying to gain affection or acceptance from a psychopath, undoubtedly the world would be a better place without Carl Ruttledge in it.
I really should have been paying close attention, not thinking about so many different things because when he slammed me with that boulder I easily defected, but I missed the second one behind it.
Some things go slowly, I could hear Ry screaming in the background and I wanted to tell him that I was sorry.
I suddenly felt terrible that I hadn’t told Patrick that I loved him one more time.
That I let down all the people that I loved.
That he was right, I really wasn’t good enough.
I pried my eyes open and wiped the blood out of them. He was standing over me panting heavily. Obviously tossing those two boulders with his mind was just about more than he was capable of doing. But it was enough to bring me down.
“I win little Emily. Now I will take Apple and we will fulfill that prophecy.” He laughed wheezing, clutching his chest.
“You don’t know?” I choked out. “Apple isn’t the one in the prophecy.”
“What are you talking about you. stupid girl?” He looked shell shocked, “Tell me at once.”
I laughed, “How fitting! You kill off the one person you actually need to make the prophecy come true.”
“TELL ME RIGHT NOW DAMN IT!” he was screaming, but I couldn’t answer, I could only continue to laugh and as I did so something began to change.
I felt a burning deep inside of me, and at first I thought that perhaps I had finally succeeded in starting my insides on fire. But the difference was that this didn’t hurt, this healed.
The more I laughed and realized that there was nothing this insane man could do to fulfill the prophecy the more I burned.
