Two Halves Box Set

by Marta Szemik

  My right leg slid between his, and his right leg slipped between mine. The heat sizzled from our bodies, as fierce as our desire, our hunger undeniable. The music was faster, but we moved at our own pace, hearts beating in time. Our kisses deepened. He explored my mouth with passion. My lips fit against his naturally.

  I pulled away for a moment to breathe, and his eyes pleaded for me to come back—an invitation I couldn’t resist. This time, I pressed my body harder against his. He responded. I knew this night would end in ecstasy.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, interrupting my daydream. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful.” He narrowed his eyes, curious, since my breathing was too heavy for William not to notice.

  “What are the plans for today?” I said quickly, crawling from under him. I straightened my shirt and fixed my hair.

  “We’re going to the airport.” William rose and stood by the bed.

  Knowing I could soon lose control, my gaze darted away from his boxers as I recalled taking his pants off at night when he snored. I sagged with relief when he pulled up his jeans and began packing the few things we had.

  He handed me a new syringe filled with pink liquid.

  “We’re going on a plane?” I asked, inserting the needle.

  “No, we’re going for a swim.” He laughed.

  “Ha-ha. You’re so funny.”

  He grinned. “Yes, on a plane. I don’t suppose you’ve been on a plane before. Are you scared?”

  “Are you going with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then no, I’m not scared.”

  “Here.” He handed me a small book.

  I opened one of the two passports. “We’re crossing the border?”

  This would be the first time I’d been so far away from Pinedale, my store and everything I ever knew about my life. I wondered where my friends and watchers were. Would they feel like they failed protecting me? It wasn’t their fault and I hoped they’d forgive my sudden departure.

  “Yes, but please don’t think about it. Make your thoughts as blank as possible. Think of snow, white bunnies, igloos, and the ocean with many icebergs. The seekers shouldn’t sense you, but just in case . . .”

  “Okay.” I found the page with my photo. “Willemina Jones,” I read aloud. “Nice one. How long did it take you to come up with that one?” I wasn’t trying to be rude, it was the kind of smart-ass remark we made in my dreams.

  “I’m Sarphen Jones,” he said.

  Laughing, I threw my head back. “Sarphen?”

  “I like to be unique.”

  “That you certainly are.” I chuckled.

  “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

  I brushed my teeth and hopped into my jeans while William waited with our luggage.

  We walked toward the end of the motel, hand in hand, despite the sharp pains in our hearts. Most guests slept, but not all. Someone moaned as we passed the third door. My cheeks felt hot. William disregarded the whimpers and deep exhalations. He didn’t let me carry anything, either. The backpack rested comfortably on his right shoulder.

  When we passed the entrance, the red-haired receptionist looked up, waved, and dropped her head back on the front desk to sleep. William dropped a post card into a mailbox and I wondered who he sent it to. Then he tugged on my hand, pulling me in the opposite direction from the jeep.

  “Wrong way,” I whispered.

  “We’re switching cars.”

  “Are you stealing one?”

  “No, just taking a more comfortable one. I borrowed the jeep.” He grinned. I pictured William sneaking into a neighbour’s garage in the middle of the night, to “borrow” the yellow Hummer that shone in the parking lot of the motel. Vanilla air freshener waffled in the air before we reached it.

  “Well, that won’t get any attention,” I said, blocking the sunlight with my hand as it reflected off the bright yellow paint.

  He smiled. “You get your sarcasm from your father. We’re not driving far, and I really like this one. Looks almost like mine.”

  “You have another one?”

  “Yes. We can’t take this one on a plane. It’s a rental—harder to trace.”

  “Now that one makes sense,” I teased.

  “It’s important that you stay quiet for the rest of the way. They have spies everywhere.” He widened his eyes.

  “But we’d see them. Or you could sense them, couldn’t you?” I asked as he opened the door on my side.

  “Not all of them.” He dashed around the car to get in. “There are several kinds of demons. The seeker demons can smell what they are focused on. They’re fast and their only mission is to find what or who they’re looking for. There are also fire demons, water demons, air demons, etcetera—they control the natural elements. And passers—they can pass through hundreds of miles in seconds through a time vortex. Movers use force to move objects—their power depends on how strong they are. Freezers stop you in your tracks. The different talents can be combined by more powerful demons.”

  I remembered the blue glow under my feet when I met Eric.

  William continued, “Shapeshifters can look like anyone or anything they want—”

  “Like Mira and Xander.”

  “Yes.”

  “And they can sense me?” I asked nervously as faces of my classmates and neighbours flashed through my mind. Could anyone else I’d known be a seeker or a freezer?

  “Not all demons are bad. Most were good.” William turned the key in the ignition. The car purred to life.

  I wondered if this world would ever make sense to me. “If the demons were good, what happened?”

  “They were stronger types of warlocks who used to balance the world. Warlocks stole demon qualities. The balance has shifted too much to call them warlocks anymore. It’s easier to use a power than a precise spell. If there was drought, they’d make it rain. If there was enough pressure for an earthquake, they’d readjust the tectonic plates to ease the tension and minimize its intensity. Think of them as invisible fairies that made the world work. These are just the small examples.”

  “Small. Right.” I nodded. “I can see why the frequency of hurricanes and floods has increased.”

  William turned onto the street. “Had they not interfered, the planet would look a lot different than it does today. In the past two hundred years, they’ve been helping our planet less and less. The numbers of good warlocks decreased when some of them wanted to use magic for their gain.” William sounded disappointed. “They kill to take what others have. If a powerful demon were to kill me now—”

  “Don’t even think that!” I interrupted.

  “They’d gain my fearless abilities,” he finished.

  I shivered as my heart trembled. “Could a demon use a spell to have our abilities?”

  “I don’t think so. What we have is a special gift from the keepers. I’d imagine such conjured abilities need a lot of magic and power, more than Aseret has at his disposal, for now. Sarah, I won’t let anything happen to us. I promise.”

  “Pinky swear?” I hesitated, then held up my hand.

  William didn’t laugh and hooked his smallest finger around mine, left hand on the wheel. “Pinky swear.”

  He drove well above the speed limit, peeking back through the rear-view mirror more often than necessary. Goose bumps covered my arms as I imagined what he could be looking for. A gravel side road and stones broke under the Hummer’s heavy wheels. I tried not to pay attention to our route when William swerved to avoid a squirrel darting across the road.

  My head rested against the back of the seat and I closed my eyes. At first, white bunnies and icebergs flooded my thoughts. It felt like weeks had passed since I’d awakened from a nightmare I thought would end my life. With William at my side, the nightmare was fading. Curiosity and apprehension had replaced the ache in my chest. The new world I’d been introduced to made seem Pinedale more boring than before, and I wondered if I would ever return. Would I see Mira and Xander a
gain? I missed my luscious green world and the humidity it produced that condensed on the glass fridge doors in my store.

  When I opened my eyes, the sun was higher, the ruddy morning glow now pale, washing everything in white, life-giving light. I remembered the warmth of the sun’s rays in Pinedale on the day William came for me. In the moment I looked at him, he made a sharp right turn that threw my head the other way. A city’s silhouetted outlined the horizon.

  He noticed my clenched hands, fingers curled into my palms. “Block any thoughts you can, Sarah. The serum will help you, but you need to give it the initial kick.”

  I turned on the radio, shut my eyes and thought of Iceland and snow.

  “You have a nice voice,” William complimented.

  I realized I’d been humming.

  “Thank you. I’m just trying to be thoughtless.” I continued with a tune.

  A few minutes later, William stopped the Hummer. “We’re here.”

  “Already?” I opened my eyes. We were parked in an underground garage.

  “We have an hour until the flight.” He handed me an iPod and a large sun hat. “Put these on. Keep your eyes down. Don’t speak. There could be a shapeshifter on patrol. Try to act natural, and don’t be nervous. I’ll be with you the entire time.” He squeezed my hand.

  Chills climbed my spine. Had I been too oblivious of the danger? My heartbeat quickened.

  “Don’t worry, they shouldn’t sense us. I won’t let anything bad happen. Let’s go.”

  We got out of the car, and William took our luggage from the trunk, the two cases strapped together. I wasn’t sure when he’d packed them, but he must had been in a hurry. The suitcases were uneven, and odd bulges stuck out in a couple of places. He held my hand tight as he led me toward the exit, pulling the wheeled luggage behind us. I heard it wobble and turned to see it weave from side to side like a bloated drunk.

  I thought about everything other than the airport and flying. The iPod wasn’t doing its job; even with the volume set high, I still heard the flight announcements. As I tried to focus on the iPod’s songs, a shy-less woman behind the check-in counter flirted with William. It took all my will to keep looking at the floor, but even so, I glimpsed her hand brushing his when she handed him our boarding passes.

  William led me toward Gate 3.

  Just before we stepped through, someone blocked our way. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  The middle aged man didn’t resemble a demon, but William’s grip on my hand and the tightened curves of his cheeks told me otherwise. I removed the ear buds and let them hang over my shoulders.

  “I’m sorry, but you must have confused us with someone else,” William tried.

  “You don’t think I’m that stupid, do you, William? The underworld is searching for you and the girl. Surely you didn’t think you could escape that easily.” He was almost laughing. “Master will be pleased!” he shrieked, keeping his human eyes fixed on us.

  I remembered that shriek too well. The cold began working its way up my back, but I controlled it.

  William pressed his lips together. I forced heat toward my spine, striving to remain calm. Unsure how long I’d be able to keep my vertebrae thawed, I let more blood flow to my lower back to keep me strong. It circulated faster, without increasing my pulse. I allowed my other half to come to the fore.

  Skeptical about the demon’s powers, I sensed the tension in his hoarse voice. Each sentence ended with the sound of crackling fire. His body gave off heat. My instincts telling me to dig further, I inhaled—and smelled smoke. The demon’s short blackened hair was dry with split ends, most likely from heat exposure. The face, although human, was free of wrinkles, unusually youthful. That’s what he wants to appear as, I told myself, noting fine lines crisscrossing his cheeks, invisible to the human eye, but reminding me of a pattern I’d seen on the floor of a dried-up lake. He’s lacking moisture. All the details came together for me in a fraction of a second.

  I realized I wasn’t as afraid of him as I’d thought I would be as I examined him carefully, seeking a weakness, and found it.

  I crossed my fingers behind my back and said to William, “It’s okay, honey.” Then I turned to the shifter. “So, you found us.” I shrugged. William’s jaw almost dropped. “Now what? You’re going to make a scene in the middle of a busy airport?”

  “Oh, you must be a stupid one. You don’t know how easy it is to clean up human casualties,” the demon drawled. “Just try to run, and the airport will be reduced to ashes.” He laughed loudly.

  I hadn’t counted on that but I controlled the rage that I wouldn’t have to use to complete my task. William maintained his grip on my hand. “Fine,” I said. “We’ll go quietly to prevent casualties.” William widened his eyes even more but remained calm.

  “Flight 103 to Paris is now boarding,” the overhead speaker announced.

  We didn’t move.

  “I just need a quick drink. We’ve had a long trip, as you can imagine.” I pointed to a water fountain tucked in a corner on the side wall, close to the washrooms, concealed slightly from the rest of the airport. Its aura was identical to the blue orchid’s in the mountains and drew me in. “You can come with us,” I said to the demon as if granting a favour, secretly glad no one else was at the fountain.

  “Don’t try anything, stupid girl. I will kill with a touch,” he hissed through his teeth. The demon tightened his jaw. The lines of his human face shifted, changing angles as his cheeks twitched with my mention of the fountain. The jaw line lengthened, then returned to its original shape. His nose seemed to shrink, for a moment, then lengthen. His open palm changed colour, from flesh-tone to orange, as a golf ball-sized sphere of fire formed in his hand. “Make it quick,” the demon commanded.

  The sphere grew larger as we came closer to the fountain. I placed my hand on the knob, then turned back toward William. “You must be thirsty, honey. Have a drink as well.” I went first, holding the last mouthful in, letting my cheeks bulge as I turned my face so William saw them.

  The demon stood three feet away, concentrating on the fountain, the fire ball continuously growing in his hand. The sphere was now the size of a baseball. It sizzled, spitting flares. I stepped away, and William moved to the fountain. The demon focused on William’s big gulps.

  When William released the knob on the fountain, I turned to face the demon and spat the water at the creature’s face. It was like throwing acid on silk. Shrieking in anguish, the demon flung his hands to cover the damaged skin. When he tried to pull them away, they stuck to the melting flesh. William followed my lead, spitting at him with more force, scorching the beast further. The water bubbled over his hot skin, burning the flesh. The demon’s palms stretched, thinned, and began to liquefy. Hardly any steam rose as the beast’s dry skin absorbed the liquid.

  I cranked the knob of the fountain, redirecting the water with my palm at the yelping creature. The demon no longer resembled a human. His body convulsed in pain, but I did not relent, too determined to finish it. He screeched and squirmed as he melted from the top down, slowly vanishing into nothingness, leaving behind a pile of wet clothes.

  “And the witch is gone,” I said to the puddle, releasing the knob.

  “How did you know?” William took me by the shoulders.

  “I don’t know. He was so hot, and his hair and his skin were so dry . . . I thought demons must have a weakness of some sort, and then it all made sense. I figured he was a fire demon and that he’d be afraid of water,” I rambled.

  William held me tight. I closed my eyes, pressing my face against his chest. “I know, I know,” he crooned. “It’s all right, Sarah. We’re all right. It didn’t occur to me to read his fear until you mentioned the fountain. That was brave, Sarah, and smart!”

  “Can we get out of here?” I asked, trying to take my gaze away from the pile of slime.

  “Yeah. Here.” He pulled a syringe of serum from a compartment in his carry-on bag. “Take this befo
re the flight, just in case. By the time they figure out what happened, we’ll be gone.”

  “I feel like an addict.” I pushed the needle into my thigh.

  “Soon you won’t have to.” William scanned the hall for further threats. I knew he didn’t want to take the chance of crossing paths with another shapeshifter anymore than I did, especially one whose weakness might be more difficult to decipher. He tossed the empty syringe in a wastebasket, and we headed for the gate, leaving the pile of slime that resembled barf behind.

  We passed through Security posing as honeymooners incapable of separation. I wrapped my arm around William’s, brushing my cheek on his biceps. William controlled his pulse and kissed the top of my head.

  “Now, I know it’s not the serum making you behave this way,” he teased as we stepped onto the plane.

  “What do you mean?” I fluttered my lashes.

  He laughed guiding me into the window seat. “I mean, I hope it’s not just an act,” he said softly.

  “It’s not,” I said, eyes steady on the view beyond the oval window.

  “Shh.” He put his finger to my lips.

  I sunk in my seat and kept my iPod on for most of the flight. William’s face held the same expression I had: one of happiness and the sense of belonging we both craved.

  Over twenty-four hours ago, I walked through Riverside Park to contemplate how to tell Mira and Xander my secrets. I guessed they’d realize what’d happened given the abilities William described they had. The more I thought about the siblings, the more I felt they belonged in my new life even more than they did in my old one, and I hoped it wouldn’t be too long before I saw them again.

  Chapter 11

  After a two-hour flight, we stepped off the plane into a wall of air thick with moisture. The humidity slammed against my body like a tangible thing. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled to taste the exotic atmosphere. The intensity of new flavours excited me. Beads of sweat formed on my temples. The heat was strong and sweet at the same time. It curved around my arms like a winter blanket, the density of the warmth so high I could swim in it, like in the Dead Sea.