by Lynne Ewing
STANTON’S WAKING BREATH exploded into his lungs with jagged pain. He opened his eyes and struggled to breathe. Serena leaned over him. His head rested on her lap. She smiled. He had never seen her look so beautiful.
He wondered if he had only been dreaming. He patted his forehead, then ran his fingers through his hair. His skin and hair were wet and he could still smell the lavender from the cloth. As he stared at his father’s ring adrenaline surged through him. Had he really been brought back?
He tried to go into Serena’s mind to see but with a shock discovered he no longer had the power. Was it true then? His heart raced. Tentatively, he touched her moon amulet.
“You’re not a Follower any more,” Serena whispered. “If you were, the amulet would burn your flesh.”
Stanton smiled back at her and balanced the amulet on the tips of his fingers. “Did I disappear? It seemed like I went away to another place.”
“No,” Serena answered. “You were here, but you scared us. We thought for sure we had lost you.”
“She means we were afraid we had killed you.” Jimena sat on the other side of him, her hands resting on his arm. “It wasn’t like we could call the paramedics or tell la chota what had happened.” Then she added apologetically, “We never meant to hurt you. We were only trying to free you.”
He nodded. “I know.”
Stanton glanced at the night sky and was overcome with reverence and awe. It had been a long time since he could gaze at the starry universe and not feel remorse, or uneasiness about the location and phase of the moon. Optimism surged through him. He touched Serena’s cheek and wondered what their future might hold.
“Do you think you can stand?” Serena lifted his head and helped him sit.
He nodded and became aware of his body. He felt his arms, then smoothed his hands over his knees. Everything felt different. Strong, but not supreme. He had been an Immortal for so long that he had forgotten how frail mortals were. Now there would be no instant mending of a broken bone.
“Let’s go celebrate!” Catty said, then stopped and looked at Vanessa. “Okay, what is it? You’re being too quiet. You always have something to say.”
“I was just remembering what Jimena told us about her premonitions,” Vanessa remarked.
“Don’t spoil this,” Catty warned. “You said yourself that the premonition about battling Stanton could have been us bringing him back. So that event has already come and gone. He’s not going to fight us. Okay?”
“But what about Jimena’s last premonition?” Vanessa wondered. “How can you explain that?”
Stanton could feel Serena tense.
“You worry too much,” Catty argued. “Maybe Jimena is like the rest of us and her power messes up once in a while.”
“What did you see?” Stanton asked Jimena.
Serena answered before Jimena could speak. “Don’t worry about it. We’re here and we’ll protect you.”
He smiled at her, but felt uneasy. He didn’t want Serena protecting him. He wanted to be able to protect her. Suddenly, he realized he no longer had that kind of strength. Would she still like him as much as she had before? He remembered the way he had changed them both into shadow and they had sped together across the night. Their relationship would be different now.
Jimena touched his shoulder in reassurance. The glitter on her forehead and cheekbones shone, making her look otherworldly. “Just because I saw it, doesn’t mean it has to come true. ¿Entiendes?”
But Stanton knew Jimena had never been able to stop any of her premonitions from coming true. “So what did you see?” he insisted. “If you’re not worried about it coming true, then why can’t you tell me?”
Vanessa stood and started pacing.
“What now?” Catty said with exasperation.
“It’s just that he doesn’t seem confused the way others have when we’ve brought them back.” Vanessa folded her arms across her chest.
“What are you trying to say?” Serena demanded.
“Does he seem like the others?” Vanessa asked again.
Serena gently probed his mind. He could no longer rush to meet her thoughts and merge with her. The sensation now felt odd, a fuzzy tickle inside his head.
“He’s not faking it if that’s what you’re trying to say,” Serena answered. “He no longer has his powers. Any of them.”
Stanton wondered if that would make a difference to her.
Vanessa bit her lip. “Just that maybe we can’t—”
“Trust him?” Serena didn’t try to hold her anger back now. She stood and faced Vanessa.
Before they could say more, Catty crowded between them. “We’ve never brought an Immortal back before. Maybe it’s different, all right?”
“I went to the Dark Goddess,” Stanton stated.
They turned and looked at him.
“Normally, you can’t bring an Immortal back,” he explained. “I should have been destroyed when you blasted me.”
“We thought we had killed you,” Jimena said.
“My body might have been here with you,” Stanton continued. “But my real self was with the Goddess of the Dark Moon. She cleansed me and sent me back.”
“The dark goddess?” Jimena asked, looking at the others.
“She’s a force of good,” Stanton added quickly.
“See?” Catty argued. “Does that cover all your doubts, Vanessa?”
Vanessa nodded but still seemed reluctant.
“So can we go now?” Catty threaded her arm around Vanessa’s.
Jimena stood. “Catty’s right. Let’s go to Planet Bang.”
“Yeah,” Serena agreed and helped Stanton to stand. “Everything’s okay for now. Let’s just forget about it and go have fun.”
“But…” Vanessa started.
“We’re not going to change the future by worrying about it,” Jimena told Vanessa. “Besides, how could my last premonition come true? Stanton’s not even a Follower anymore.”
“Yeah,” Catty said happily. “Stanton’s one of us now.”
“A regular guy.” Serena wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned against his chest.
Stanton smiled down at her. A sudden thought froze him. He wondered how long it would be before the Atrox realized he had turned traitor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
A NEON SIGN LIT the beige stucco wall with a flood of pink, blue, green, and orange lights. The colors seemed to vibrate with the rhythm of the music coming from inside Planet Bang. Serena and Stanton strolled arm in arm. Catty, Vanessa, and Jimena walked ahead of them, sharing lipstick, mascara, and a pocket mirror. The girls stepped to the back of the line, their feet impatient to go inside and dance. Stanton continued toward the entrance.
“Stanton, where are you going?” Serena asked.
He stopped, suddenly aware he wouldn’t be able to hypnotize the security guards and enter. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “Being a Follower had its advantages.” He placed his hands on Serena’s shoulders and slid them down her arms. “But you could get us in. All you’d have to do is fool around with their heads and make them think they had already checked us through. It’s easy.”
Serena laughed. “No way. The line’s not even that long tonight.”
The line moved quickly and in a few minutes they were inside.
Vanessa surveyed the crowd. “Everyone got here early because Michael’s band is going to play.”
Stanton looked toward the back and wondered if any of his Hollywood Followers were hiding in the shadows waiting for their prey. Did they know yet that he was a traitor?
The deejay put on a song and the force of the music touched something deep inside of Stanton. He put his hands around Serena’s waist and stared into her eyes. Her hips found the rhythm and he enjoyed the slow movement of her body beneath his hands.
The song ended and the deejay picked up the microphone. “Let’s give it up for Michael Saratoga and his band.”
Kids whistled and clapped.
>
Michael’s band had set up earlier. Now all four members ran on stage and grabbed their instruments. The drummer marked the beat and the energy in the room swelled.
Stanton took Serena’s hand and pulled her closer to him, then leaned down and spoke against her cheek. “Everything looks so different to me now.”
Her breath tickled his neck. “How so?”
“I’m no longer looking for the weaknesses in people,” he confessed. “Or how to manipulate them.”
He pulled back and saw the sympathy in her eyes. “It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I’m free now and I’m with you.”
Serena looked at him with her large expressive eyes, making him wish he could go into her mind and read her thoughts. She seemed to understand. “I’m thinking about how happy I am that you’re here.”
He wondered if she had been in his mind all along. He ached, remembering how close they had been before.
“Don’t feel bad,” she answered. “You’ll get used to the way you are now.”
She leaned against his chest and he could feel her humming along with the music. Then she lifted her head and smoothed her hands up his body and around his neck. He took in a sharp breath and his heart raced. He felt a pleasant stirring inside him but it wasn’t the old compulsion to turn someone to the Atrox. The feeling was sweet and pure.
He bent down and murmured against her ear, “You look so beautiful tonight. I don’t want this moment to ever end.”
“I know,” she answered. “It’s so much better now that we don’t have to hide.”
He caressed her face, longing to kiss her.
I want you to kiss me, Serena traced the words across his mind. She turned her face up, her eyes half-closed with expectation.
He hesitated, then bent his head until his lips hovered over hers. Their breath mingled and she closed her eyes. He kissed her soft warm lips, then her tongue brushed across his. A delicious longing spread through him. He loved the feeling of wanting her.
He pulled back and stared at her dark beauty before he nestled his lips against the curve of her neck and breathed the perfume in her hair. He felt happier than he could ever remember feeling, but he also felt tired. His knees trembled and his back began to throb as if the weight of his newly mortal body were more than it could support.
“You need to rest,” Serena said.
Stanton looked down at Serena. “You’re right. I think I’d better rest. I feel…” He laughed. How did he feel? Tired and more. They were all new sensations for him.
“But where will you go?” she asked.
He caught the concern in her eyes. He could tell by her expression that where he would live now was a detail she hadn’t considered before. He didn’t feel as concerned about it. He groped with a new emotion, overwhelming optimism. “I’ll spend the night in my car.”
“That could be too dangerous.”
“I’ll park somewhere near a police station. No one will mess with me there. Not even Followers.”
She considered this. “All right. Do you want Jimena to drive you to your car?” Her eyes were already searching the room for Jimena.
“No, I want to walk and see the night. Everything looks so different.”
“But you’ll be careful.”
He hated that she had to be so concerned about his safety now.
She started to walk him outside.
“Stay and party with your friends,” he muttered softly. “You deserve a big celebration for what you did.”
“You sure?”
He stroked her cheek. He cared for her more than he ever had. But he also understood the risks she faced. Followers would want revenge for what she had done. The Atrox would be unrelenting. He felt the weight of these dangers and knew they were greater than before because now she no longer had his protection.
“I knew the consequences, Stanton,” she said simply, as if she had been in his mind again. “I understood what would happen before we decided to bring you back.”
She seemed more goddess to him than she ever had.
She smiled and her words slipped across his mind, You were worth the risk.
He nodded, then watched her walk away and begin to dance between Vanessa and Catty, their faces sparkling and glowing in the flashing lights. Her eyes turned back and found him. She slid next to Jimena and moved her hips from side to side, her body responding to the music with a melody of its own. She never took her eyes away from him. Then her arms reached over her head, revealing her sinuous grace. His eyes lingered on her face, then slowly slid down her neck.
His heart lurched. Her amulet glowed opalescent. Rose-colored sparks shot into the air.
He shoved through the crowd, grabbed her wrists, and pulled her away from Catty, Jimena, and Vanessa.
They laughed.
“I guess you know how to tease the guys,” Catty yelled.
“I thought you said you were going.” Serena followed his look and touched the amulet. “It’s nothing,” she assured him. “Followers are around. Sometimes they come here.”
Stanton hesitated, then on impulse he took off the ring his father had given him centuries ago and slipped it onto Serena’s thumb. As soon as the ring touched her skin, her moon amulet stopped glowing and became a simple silver charm. She was safe now. He let out a long sigh.
“What happened?” she asked.
“It’s the ring,” he explained. “As long as you wear the ring, Followers can’t harm you.” He clasped both hands around hers. “Wear it always. Promise me that no matter what happens you’ll never take it off.”
“But what about you?” she asked. “If the ring was given to you, you should wear it.”
He gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. “I’m fine.” Then he whispered into her hair. “I couldn’t live without you.”
“What?” she asked. “I couldn’t hear you.”
“It was nothing,” he answered.
She tilted her head. “Tell me.”
“I was just saying good night again,” he lied. “That’s all. Go back and dance.”
She went back into the crowd, then found the beat and began dancing.
He bumped through the dancers and went outside into the cool night air. Fog was coming in. He stopped spellbound by the patterns it made. Before the cloudy mist had only been a convenient cloak to hide his approach. Now he stood in wonder, watching it curl around the street lamps.
Finally, he began walking. His footsteps echoed behind him. What lay before him? He felt more alone than he ever had, but at the same time he was at peace because he knew that he had a future now.
He wasn’t sure where he would go tonight, probably sleep in his car, then find someplace tomorrow.
“Hey, Stanton.”
He turned.
Cassandra stood in the fog, a long trench coat wrapped around her. She walked toward him. She didn’t look good. She tried to smooth back her hair as if she felt embarrassed by her appearance. “I’m sorry, Stanton. I feel so stupid.”
“Forget it,” he answered and continued walking.
She stepped beside him, shaking her head. “I never would have helped Lambert, but he convinced me that we were destined to be together. He promised.”
He could hear the regret in her voice.
“I guess I’ll always be an outcast now,” she admitted. “What am I going to do? Lambert was taking care of me. Now I have no place to go.”
He wondered if that was the reason she looked so bad. “Have you been living on the street?”
“I crashed over in Santa Monica. Not much better than the street, but at least the kids I’m living with have food and electricity.” She looked up at him. “Can you help me?”
“I have nothing to offer you now, Cassandra.”
“What do you mean?” She seemed puzzled. “You can use your mind and trick someone into giving me an apartment.”
“I’m not a Follower anymore,” he said simply.
“Right,” she answered sarcastically. The
n she grabbed his chin so he had to look down and into her eyes. “How?” Her voice quivered as she realized the truth.
“The Daughters of the Moon brought me back,” he explained.
“Then why are you walking here? We’ve got to leave and find someplace to hide. You know what’s going to happen to you? You remember what the Atrox did to the last…” Her words trailed away and her eyes went cold with terror as if the memory were too horrible to recall. “Where’s your car? We can drive someplace. Maybe Big Bear. I’m sure there are no Followers there.”
He didn’t know if he should trust her. He also remembered how the last Immortal had been used as an example to frighten others who might have been considering a change back. The punishment had been severe and long. Cassandra could be the one who was going to set the trap. He took a deep breath and when he let it out he only felt more tired and in need of sleep.
“You don’t know what it’s like not to have your powers.” Cassandra seemed overwhelmed with frustration. “How are you going to survive? Now you’re just another homeless kid on the streets.”
He considered what she was saying. “I’ll get a job.”
“Great.” She shook her head in disgust. “Who’s going to hire you? And even if they do, you’re not going to make enough to pay rent. You’ll be living in a squat, but a different kind from the one you were in with the other Followers.”
A distant sound made him alert. Something inside him froze. He tried to caution Cassandra to be quiet, but she continued talking. “How could you let this happen?”
He pressed his hand over her lips. Her eyes widened and he could feel the terror curl into her muscles as she became aware of other footsteps.
“Followers,” she whispered and started to run.
He grabbed her. “Don’t run,” he said in her ear. “They’ll hear you.” He took her hand and led her across a yard and onto a porch. They waited behind a trellis heavy with roses.
Three milky shadows shimmered in the gray mists.
Stanton ducked and pulled Cassandra down with him. Muffled voices and stealthy footsteps filled the thick fog.
Cassandra trembled.
“Are they Lambert’s Followers?” Stanton asked.
