I knew what that “almost” was. Some things, no matter how you looked at them, were just plain evil and shitty. Still, I liked his optimism. “Come on. We should probably see what Finn and Kade have found. Hopefully, these are the peasant quarters, and there’s an array of pristine rooms all decked out with modern amenities on the other side.”
He slung his arm over my shoulder as we headed outside. “You think you’d deserve to have the lush rooms over the rest of us?”
“I think there has to be some perks for being a descendant, risking our lives for the sake of the world.”
Max chuckled. “I’d like to see you tell that to Nessa.”
I bit down on my smile. “That woman scares me. Not in the way Orphelia had, but still, she knows way more magic than I do and could probably cover my face with warts while I sleep.”
He laughed, causing the others to look our way, wondering what was going on.
Finn and Kade strode over to us. “Find anything useful?” Finn asked.
Kade cocked his thumb behind him. “Please tell me your cabins were better than those derelict things on our side.”
I groaned. “I was about to ask you the same.”
Great. We were stuck in the middle of the woods, in what appeared to be a magical wonderland, until we entered the rooms. Maybe I’d just sleep under the stars.
The vans pulled up not too long after, and I was surprised to see Kyla up and walking—and talking. Nessa had her arm around Kyla’s shoulders, guiding her over the rough terrain as they made their way to where the seven of us were sitting around a fire with nothing to eat.
I stood to welcome her. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been possessed by a demon,” she said with a straight face then cracked a smile. “Sorry. Couldn’t help it. Nessa told me how worried you all were about me wanting to join your crusade, so I want to put everyone’s minds at ease. If I’m the air elemental you’re looking for, I will go through the bonding ceremony with you all, and I will fight by your side to bring those motherfuckers down.” She shuddered, undoubtedly thinking about the life the Society stole from her.
I wanted to ask her how the Society had gotten their hands on her—and put a demon inside of her—but now didn’t seem the right time. But it was definitely a question for later.
The other descendants introduced themselves while I pulled Nessa aside. “Do you think she’s up for it?”
Nessa held my gaze. “As much as you are.”
That was all I needed to know. Kyla was willing to do anything to cast the demons out of this world for good. “Great.”
Nessa put her hands on her hips and smiled as she looked around. “How are you all settling in here?”
I couldn’t contain my groan, making Nessa laugh. “I don’t normally do camping.”
“This isn’t camping,” she said, that smile of hers still taunting me. “You’re just not seeing it yet.”
My eyes widened, and my mouth dropped open as I realized what she was saying. “You’re telling me I’m not actually seeing this place for what it really is?”
“That is exactly what I’m saying.”
34
Nessa wasn’t lying. Once she’d opened our eyes to the truth of this place, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Apparently, they had a different concoction for each place. Unlike the last village where I hadn’t seen anything, this one allowed false sight, only giving true sight to those who were trusted.
The cabins weren’t as small as they appeared, and each one had a bathroom coming off the back of the bedroom, behind a door that originally looked like a rustic, derelict wooden wall. Each room was fitted with a queen bed, side tables, and a small seating area all on wooden flooring. There were no electronics, so the rooms were lit by solar powered lights. Even the stench was gone.
Outside was a clearing where we grabbed a bunch of cushions from a sealed box that had originally looked like a rock and scattered them around the fire pit where Liam, Joel, and Parker were cooking our dinner with food they’d brought with them.
I was itching to find out what element Kyla was, but I could understand everyone needed to eat. The chick had been through hell and needed a little breather before we got into it again.
We all sat on the cushions around the fire—even my dad. We picked apart the loaves of bread Parker had made and tried to forget for a few minutes what tomorrow would bring.
If I had it my way, I’d be going into the Shadow Realms tonight. And I had every intention of trying to convince them, one way or another.
Nessa excused herself halfway through the meal, taking Liam with her.
“Kyla,” I said, breaking the silence. “You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to—but I’m sure we all want to know—”
“How I became possessed by a demon?” she cut in.
“Yeah.” I popped a small ball of bread into my mouth, wishing it was a drop of blood instead.
“It’s okay. You all have a right to know,” she said, crossing her legs. “I tested positive in school and was told I held the markers. Then I got shipped off to the government facility where I quickly found out what a load of bullshit that was.” She paused as her gaze landed on Mason then Finn, who’d both experienced the same. “They kept me alive, feeding off me, moving me around, feeding off me some more, until one day I fought back. It was the last thing I remember until I woke up some time later, strapped to a chair in a lab where they gave me a sword. I couldn’t understand why they would arm me…” She drifted off in thought then continued a few moments later. “Once they figured out who I was, I was locked up in a cell for who knows how long, until Orphelia eventually came for me.
“The bitch knocked me out by blowing some shit in my face. The next thing I knew, I was trapped inside a body I couldn’t control. I heard things, I saw things, but I couldn’t control anything…” She drifted off again.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I can’t imagine what you must’ve gone through. It must’ve been truly terrifying.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry.”
It took me a moment to realize she was apologizing for slicing my thigh. “No, no, no. You have nothing to apologize for. That demon was responsible for what happened to me that night, not you. You got that?”
Kyla nodded again, but I could tell she didn’t fully release her guilt.
Sky stood and maneuvered around everyone, heading to Kyla and holding out her hand. “Stand.”
Frowning, Kyla put her hand in hers and stood. Before she could open her mouth, Sky wrapped her arms around her. “We do not blame you for any of your body’s actions while you were possessed. You are not at fault. You have been through something that none of us can fully comprehend, and you are completely blameless. You are a victim as much as Kali, and every single one of us will help you get your vengeance.”
I quickly wiped my eyes before a tear slipped out. I was beginning to love Sky.
Sky looked over her shoulder at me and waved me over.
I stood and made my way to them, as did Almira and Alex. Then we wrapped our arms around each other in a group hug. “You’re one of us now,” I said. “Whether you’re an air or not.”
“Speaking of,” Nessa said, interrupting our moment. “It’s time for us to find out.”
35
Nessa led us to a small clearing behind the cabins where she had prepared a circle, ready for the ceremony to uncover Kyla’s element.
I stopped just outside the circle. “Why did we have to travel to Bali, yet you can do Kyla’s here?”
“Because we now have four elementals. Before we didn’t; therefore, we had to travel to a sacred place to perform your ceremony.”
“Right. So what’s next?”
Nessa held her hand out to Kyla. “Are you ready?”
Without hesitation, Kyla placed her hand into Nessa’s and stepped inside the circle. “What do I have to do?”
Nessa explained the procedure then handed Kyla
a small dagger. “I hope you’re not afraid of your own blood.”
“Little scares me these days.”
She held the tip of the blade against her palm and was about to slice it when Nessa grabbed her hand, stopping her. “Wait until I’m out of the circle.”
The second Nessa crossed the threshold, Kyla dragged the blade across her skin and spilled the blood into the bowl. “It’s moving.”
A rush of air swept around her, making me suck in a sharp breath. I didn’t need Nessa to confirm what I already knew. “You’re an air elemental.”
Kyla’s gaze shot up to mine, her smile spreading wide across her face. “Let’s get those motherfuckers.”
I liked this girl.
Turning to Nessa, I asked, “How long until you can perform the bonding ceremony?”
Liam and one of the other witches from Sky’s crew walked into the circle holding various items in their hands.
“How about now?” Nessa said.
So many emotions consumed me in that moment. I was minutes away from being able to bring my mother home, and it was tearing at my heart. I glanced at Finn and Mason, who both stared back at me, knowing looks in their eyes.
This was it.
The moment we’d been waiting for.
I bit my lip as I watched the witches set up for the ceremony, creating a new circle, with five corners forming a pentagram in the center. At each corner sat a candle with all of our names carved into the wax. And at the center was a large dish filled with water and herbs.
We all took our positions, me standing at the top of the pentagram representing spirit, air to my right, water on my left, then fire and earth below.
Once again, we were all required to give our blood as part of the sacrifice. This time, I wasn’t afraid. I was doing this for my brothers, and for my parents.
Everyone stood around us, bearing witness to the bond we would share. We’d come so far, and this was the next step in the destruction of the Society. Once we were bonded, we’d become even stronger. We would become one.
Nessa took a deep breath then released it slowly as she clasped her hands together. “Let’s begin.”
I locked eyes with the descendants, who were soon to become my sisters, bound to one another for all eternity. They understood the magnitude of what we were about to do, and I couldn’t be happier with the group I’d found myself within.
Slicing the blades across our skin, blood spilled into the circle, snaking its way to join each one of us together before taking a new path down the lines of the pentagram toward the center, where it changed course again, mixing our blood together once more until they were as one.
A rush of power spread through me, taking my breath away, merging my soul with my sisters’, connecting us in a way I had never imagined. I could feel them under my skin, their magic now living within me.
I stared at my sisters, each wearing the same expression I did and holding an awareness of me that I felt in them. We weren’t just sisters. Our souls were connected on a level that didn’t exist in the mortal realm.
“And it is done,” Nessa said, drawing me out of my thoughts.
Stepping away from the circle, I felt a single thread connecting me to my sisters, an anchor to them no matter how far apart we were. I knew without any proof that was what would bind me to this realm so I could cross over to the Shadow Realms, using their strength to bind another soul to me, allowing them to pass through with me.
I turned to Finn and Mason, seeing them in a new light, an energy surrounding them that I could almost touch. “Let’s go get Mom back.”
In order to do that, I needed to return to where I knew she was waiting for me. Which meant we had to go back to the city. Or at least I had to.
The danger with that was the Society would have every vampire and hunter on the lookout for us, and the demons still roaming between the Shadow Realms and our world would be watching as well.
I couldn’t be foolish, and we needed a plan. Because once I had my mother, we would need a way to keep her safe.
“Come with me,” Nessa said. “We need to devise a plan of action.”
“Us, too?” Mason asked.
“Of course. She’s your mother, too, is she not?” She winked at him when he stared at her a little unsure of what to do.
Before following her, I grabbed Max’s hand and tugged him toward me. “Come with us?”
He threaded his fingers with mine. “Always.”
Once again, I was hit with the magnitude of what I had not just with him but my brothers, elemental sisters, and the rest of The Circle of Embers. There was a bond holding us together that the Society never had. Here we were equals, no person lesser than the other, all working toward a greater cause.
We were family.
Following Nessa into her cabin, I took a seat on the arm of the couch Sky and Daniel were occupying. Nessa was rummaging through her bags, trying to find something, and the others were sitting on whatever flat surface they could find.
“Now, I know you want to rush in and get your mother out of the Shadow Realms,” Nessa said, her head still buried in her bags. “But you’d be foolish to rush out there without thinking things through.”
“I wasn’t going to,” I said. “I know where she’ll be. Or at least somewhere close to, and I know I’ll need someone on this side to get her out of there if something goes wrong. We also need to think about what we’re going to do about Lana. They’re going to know something’s not right when they realize we’ve bonded. They’ll go searching for their books, and when they find them missing, they’re going to know someone was helping us from the inside.”
“I agree,” Finn said. “We can’t leave her to be subjected to their wrath. She helped us, and we need to do the same for her.”
“That’s something I think we all agree on.” Nessa looked around the room, waiting for anyone to object. But all she was met with were nods of agreement. “Good. Then we’ll need to send word to her that she will need to get out of there before you go through.”
After everything Lana had risked to help us, that was something we owed her, and something I couldn’t wait for. “Agreed.”
“Right. You need to message Ashley and ask her to urgently meet with Lana. Then I’ll need volunteers to bring them both in so we can protect them.”
Relief flooded through me knowing I wouldn’t have to worry about Ash’s safety once her part was over. She, too, had done more for me than I could ever repay her for. But that was the thing about family. Repayment wasn’t required. We did what we did for love without expecting anything in return.
“I’ll go,” Kade said, looking directly at me. “I’ll keep them safe.”
“I’ll go with him,” Daniel said. “We might need the numbers.”
“Thank you,” I said, truly grateful that people I barely knew were willing to stand up and help.
“And I’ll go, too,” Liam said. “You might need a witch.”
“It goes without saying that I’m going with Kali,” Finn said.
Max, who was leaning against the wall behind me, moved forward. “Me, too.”
“Neither of you are coming with me, you got that?” When Finn opened his mouth to object, I said, “No arguments.”
“I’m coming with you,” Sky said. “No arguments.” She winked.
I could visibly see the relief in both Finn’s and Max’s energy. Something I hadn’t been privy to before the bonding.
“I guess I’m staying here, where it’s safe, as usual,” Mason said.
“Not necessarily,” Nessa said with a grin. “They might need a driver if something goes wrong and the others need to help. And I was thinking you’ve earned your right to fight alongside the other hunters.”
His eyes practically popped out of his head. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. “I’ve been watching you train with Max and Kade, and I think you’ve got great potential. You pick things up easily, and you have passion that can’t be learne
d.”
“Holy shit,” Mason said, practically bouncing in his seat. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Everyone in the room burst out laughing, watching his excitement unfold.
Ignoring everyone, he said, “When can we do this?”
“Right now.” She opened her hand, revealing a bottle containing a liquid that practically glowed. “Drink this.”
Kade scrunched up his face in confusion. “What? He doesn’t need to pledge his soul to the cause or anything in some massive ceremony like we had to?”
Nessa chuckled. “No. That would’ve all been for show, to make the rest of the members believe they were not worthy.”
“So why don’t you guys take it?” I asked what I was sure everyone else was thinking.
“Because we can’t be a hunter as well as a witch. That right is only reserved for the descendants. We have to choose, and most of us prefer the use of magic, our heritage.”
“Understandable,” Max said. “I’d prefer magic, too, if I had a choice.”
Mason drew his brows together. “Then shouldn’t I have witch powers as well if our mother was a witch? Wait. Is she a descendant as well?”
“No. Descendants are not hereditary. And as for you being a witch, not all are born with magic within them. Most come in time, usually presenting shortly after puberty. Then there are some that don’t present until much later or never at all.”
“So, you’re saying I might still be a witch?”
“That’s correct. But it is not something we can predict. Finn has already become a hunter, shunning that part of him before he even knew it may have existed. But you are right, you do have a choice.”
“There’s no choice to make,” he said without hesitation. “I may never be gifted with magic, and even if I am, it will be too late. I need to be a part of this—now.”
“Very well.” Nessa handed him the bottle. “Drink up.”
36
Mason opened the lid and downed the contents without giving it a second thought. That was one thing I could always say about Mason; he didn’t do anything by halves. He was passionate to his core.
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