In the Light of Darkness

by Delizhia Jenkins

  I left that night but returned in the early hours of the morning, disguising myself as nothing more than a gifted mortal. How I managed to fool her parents is still beyond me, but I did and to this very day they are none the wiser. I befriended them; told them secrets about my kind that no Grey was ever supposed to know and that is when I told them that their daughter was in danger. I offered my services to assist them in any way I can to keep her and her family safe and in exchange, they offered what many have never been extended: their friendship.

  I have been in her life ever since, up until a few years ago when I had to leave for her safety. My mother is furious with me, to the point that she wants me dead too and she will send everything she has against me to make it happen. But you see, the House of Light numbers have been dwindling. There are sightings of Warriors of Darkness and rumors that their king has escaped and so mother is not so blind where she wants to jeopardize everything she has over a single child and a disobedient heir.

  What happened to her today was a sign that my mother has been watching and her parent’s mistakes of going on the offensive rather than the defensive have provoked the rage of someone whose powers have no limit. Her parents have killed hundreds if not thousands of my kind. There is something to be admired about that. Her mother, Kai was a force to be reckoned with. She could see something coming a hundred miles away; moved with the quickness of lightning and could block the strongest of Light magic with her mind. Her father, Demetrius had all of my respect. Not only was he strong physically, he was shrewd and calculating. He was not as fast as her mother, but he had the strength of ten of the strongest men. He could level a building if he wanted to; but when it came to his wife and his family…I can only shake my head.

  Watching Dawn quickly excused herself to get away from me is endearing. I know she likes me, but she is young and afraid and to be honest, I don’t blame her. She is shapely, like her mother but she looks almost exactly like Demetrius with her deep brown skin, full lips and high cheek bones. There is still something different about her unrelated to her parents... Her mother was a little on the fairer side. Dawn is also like Demetrius in the sense of her quiet demeanor. She is a thinker, and to an extent that is her weakness. She overthinks which leads to self-doubt. I believe her parents may have sheltered her too much. She can fight-that is for sure. But her parents never allowed her much experience in what it means to actually engage in battle and now, she is going to have to learn it on her own.

  I don’t mind her sleeping in my bed because I don’t sleep. I have no need to. My bed has served other purposes, not anything as of late but she doesn’t need to know that. The sheets and bedding are clean which is all that matters. I wipe off the counter and slip into my room where I find her completely unconscious. She sleeps like the dead and the only way one would know she is still alive is by watching the rise and fall of her chest cavity. She doesn’t even snore even during the deepest stages of REM. I watch her for a minute before closing the door and heading back into the living room where her grandmother’s dog rests peacefully. We will have to leave tomorrow. There is no way we can settle in after everything that has transpired. We barely made it out of her compound alive and for that we have to keep moving.

  I will do anything to protect her despite the fact that in time she will possibly grow to hate me. Once she discovers what I am, I can only hope that my actions prove who I am to her and she will not focus on what I am. The Queen is watching and I have no doubt in my mind that she was present the instant the compound exploded. I have an idea why the Queen wants Dawn dead but there are still questions that require answers. I fight the urge to back in the room kiss Dawn goodnight by reminding myself that I have plenty of time. I have waited this long for her and even if I have to wait a few more years to earn her heart then so be it. I take a seat on the couch adjacent to Biscuit and wait for the sun to rise.

  Chapter 5

  Dawn

  My senses awaken to the sensation of a hot, wet tongue lapping at my face. “Biscuit!” I groan as I roll over and face the other direction. But Biscuit is persistent and jumps on the bed and proceeds to lick me on the face which has always been his usual good morning greeting. I groggily sit up and as I wait for my sleep fogged vision to clear, what I can see is that it is still dark. The sun hasn’t even risen yet and I cringe. I am not ready to face today. I flop back down and close my eyes, the images of yesterday a fresh wound that I doubt will ever heal. Biscuit hops off of the bed in defeat and makes his way back in the living room where Aiden is. I take a moment to stretch and yawn and go through the early morning rituals typical of any human who must start their day earlier than what they would like to.

  But even in this moment my father’s rule of never sleeping past eight still stand. I head to the bathroom to empty my bladder and wash up before being greeted by Aiden who is waiting for me in the bedroom. I observe him closely. His expression reflects little emotion. I study his lineless face. He should be in his late thirties but he doesn’t look a day older than 25…but his eyes display a wisdom beyond his years. I wonder how old he really is, not that it matters. His long, thick mane is pulled back in a “man bun” and I wonder how many women were fortunate enough to run their fingers through that messy-

  I have to stop thinking about him like that. Besides, he can read my thoughts and I already have enough crap going on; adding a hint of awkward to it is not going to help.

  “We have to leave. Now,” He says. It is not a request but a command.

  I have had my fill of commands in my life but I let this one slide. He disappears into the living room, leaving me alone to gather my belongings. I am done in less than two minutes and I meet him at the door. Biscuit is sitting next to him, looking every bit of pleased to be on his way on an adventure. Aiden only has a small duffle in his possession and we leave without a word.

  It is 5:00 in the morning and once inside the Humvee, I wait for Aiden to start the car and pull off before speaking.

  “Rough night?” I ask gazing outside the passenger window.

  “Huh? What do you mean?” He asks sounding genuinely confused.

  “Sounds like you had a rough night,” I say. “You seem a little on edge. Did you get enough sleep?”

  He frowned. “I don’t sleep.”

  “Ever?”

  “No. I don’t need it.”

  “Oh.” I wonder what his issue is then.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “I did.”

  “Good. You are going to need it.” He says pointedly.

  We drive for at least an hour. I doze off for what I assume to be about thirty minutes before I feel the car come a slow halt. We are outside of a motel, and based off of surrounding scenery, we are somewhere in Santa Monica.

  “Stay here,” He says getting out of the car. We seem to be the only guests to arrive as I scan the empty parking lot facing the one story structure that struggled to bring the wild wild west to life. I look around and extend my senses. We are about five miles away from the beach. I wish I could dance in the waves and take refuge underneath the rays of the sun in a mindless trance of relaxation like everyone else seems to have the luxury of doing. We are parked across the street from the busy intersection and I take a look at the nearby plaza that offered a Starbucks, some health food joint, a gym and a Thai food restaurant. I sit back against the leather seating and sigh. My heart still yearns for those moments before the explosion…before everything went terribly wrong. I close my eyes and try to picture myself with my mother again, but this time, I hold the image of us laughing as we get our feet painted at one of those girl salons. Of course it never happened, but it is a wishful vision of the kind of mother/daughter relationship I have always wanted. Just as we are being past champagne chutes with strawberry lemonade I hear Aiden screaming in the background. My eyes snap open. Biscuit begins to bark profusely at my window as a large man of formidable height and weight gently taps on the glass. I know this warrior. It is not a Warrior of
Light but the total opposite.

  Instinctively I know what he wants-me, but I am not up for auction today. I still have a choice and neither side is going to take it away from me. I was trained to fight them too and so without thinking, I reach on the backseat, shoving Biscuit out of the way and unsheathe the sword. The warrior looks surprised by my reaction, but that is what I want. In a swift motion I open the door and slam it hard into his stomach and force him backwards. He barely doubles back which is good enough for me. I land a hard kick to his chin and knock him a few more steps back. He snarls. Good. It means he is angry.

  I like them angry.

  I spin around in a single swing and he dodges my blow. I can hear Aiden in the background fighting and I realize I have to take this one down on my own. He lunges for me, but this time I freeze frame out of his way. He turns around and snarls again. His skin is pale like the moonlight and his eyes bleed pitch black. His head is shaved bald and he is covered in ancient markings that make me wonder if there is anything left of him that has not been tattooed.

  “So you fight against those who wish to protect you?” He sneered.

  “Protect me from what?” I growl as I land a punch to his face.

  “You are being hunted. She wants you dead! We need you alive so you can fight!” He strikes me hard on my chin. I spit out blood. He is going to pay.

  “How do you know about me?” I ask. I quit fighting. I want answers.

  He smirks. “We have always known about you. But it confuses me as to why you would side-“ Just then, the tip of a blade pierces through his mid -section from behind and the Warrior of Darkness drops to his knees. Aiden makes quick work of him before the warrior explodes into a cloud of dark mist.

  I gape at him. “Dude! He was about to reveal some important information!”

  Aiden looks at the vanishing remains and spits. “It wasn’t important.”

  “What do you mean it wasn’t important Aiden?! He mentioned something about someone wanting me dead and he asked why am I willing to fight against those who wish to protect me-“

  Just then Aiden grabs my arm and pulls me in close, so close in fact that he is a breath away from my lips and I shudder at the fleeting idea of what it would be like for him to place his lips against mine.

  “No one can or will protect you like I can,” he growls.

  A wave of electricity passes between us and once again I can sense the “otherness” about him. I wonder what he is. He holds me for longer than a few seconds, until the electricity passes, before releasing me.

  “Get in the car. We will have to stop somewhere else,” He commands sheathing his sword.

  I take one last look at where the Dark Warrior once stood. If there was one more will come looking for him. So my dreams are true. The House of Darkness will fight to keep me alive so I can lead them; while the House of Light will do anything to see me dead. I wonder what Aiden knows. I turn and head back to the car and slide in. Biscuit whimpers anxiously. Aiden turns on the ignition and we continue our silent journey to safety.

  Aiden

  I have to keep her safe. I have to keep her from the House of Darkness. I do not know what they want with her, but I can everything that I am it is nothing good. Both Houses want her, granted for different reasons. But until I figure out why, she needs to be hidden. There isn’t a place in this world where I can keep her safe forever, but I do know of some places that will buy us some time. She is annoyed with me, I can see it on her face. She refuses to look in my direction and for now, I will give her some space.

  I wish I’d had come sooner; explained to her parents that it would be in her best interest to come with me. But due to unprecedented circumstances, and my understanding of her overprotective father, things still would have turned out the way they had.

  I turn the heater on. Her skin is prickling with gooseflesh and she is too proud to tell me she is cold. Biscuit curls in the backseat, enjoying the warmth the Humvee is producing and that is when I noticed that the temperature has dropped another 20 or so degrees. This cannot be good. When the weather takes a supernatural turn, that means that there are too many of one or both of the houses in close proximity. We just faced an encounter with the Warriors of Darkness, which is also not a good sign, but I cannot afford to be seen by members of my own caste. My mother wants me home, perhaps to either kill me or force me to submit to her rule. And, if any one of my kind happens upon my discovery, well…end of story.

  I decrease my speed as I turn onto the I-10. I can drive us all night if I have to but with Biscuit as an added guest, I make plans to stop once we reach the halfway point of our destination. I have a condo just south of Woodland Hills. Not only is it well protected with my own wards, and technology but it is well hidden by the 9 foot brick wall that is blanketed with creeping vines and all types of shrubbery and trees that makes my property very hard to see. I figure we can lay low there for a few days before we have to travel again.

  She dozes off again and I watch anxiously as the I-10 freeway becomes covered in a thick layer of frost and that is when I realize that we are being followed. Behind us in a black Sedan with tinted windows, and whoever the driver is, is mirroring the lanes in which I merge into. I can detect this is another warrior from the House of Darkness because his energy signature is dark and vastly draining. I speed up, making note that one false move and it is over for Dawn. The Sedan speeds us behind me. I watch him from the rearview mirror. I zoom in between a white Audi and a Honda Civic, decrease my speed and watch with amusement as the Sedan is forced to whizz by. I can feel his hateful glare burn through the glass. I make a quick exit onto an unfamiliar street and make a detour heading east.

  It would be much easier if we could take the airports but that is too great of a risk. There will be human casualties and our identities will be revealed, which is not something that I believe the Queen herself is ready for. At least not yet.

  Dawn mumbles something in her sleep and struggles to turn comfortably on her side before waking up. She rubs her eyes and looks at me before plopping back down and dozing off. I continue driving, taking note of the farther east I go, the warmer the temperature. I glance at her one last time before she wakes up and screams.

  Chapter 6

  Dawn

  Aiden restrains me. Somehow he has stopped the car and he has his hand pressed against my wrists as I cry out. I can’t help it. I am trapped. Dying. Death means that I have failed. Death means that I am free. But death means I didn’t have a choice. My eyes snap open; my heart is beating to its own erratic beat at a million miles a minute. Sweat rolls down from my brow, leaving a trail down the side of my face and plops onto the leather seating. His eyes are focused on me; his expression unreadable with the exception of the pulsing of his jawline. It takes my body a few minutes to normalize, and for the adrenaline that spiked my blood stream to dissipate. I relax and so does he. Releasing my wrists, he says,

  “How long have you had the dreams?”

  “What dreams?” I quip.

  He scowls. “Don’t play stupid with me Dawn, now is not the time. How long have you had the dreams?”

  “Since I was 12…”

  He sighed and reclined into his seat. “Does anyone else know about them?”

  I shake my head. “No. At least no one who is alive…my granny…” I force myself to suck up the pain that was threatening to resurface.

  “Fasten your seatbelt and try not to fall asleep. I have to take you to someone.”

  He restarts the car and we continue heading north and then east towards Long Beach. I take in the scenery. The sun has just begun to set creating an ambiance of song and dance between the yellows, oranges, pinks and purples in the evening sky. People were out and about, which resulted in bumper to bumper traffic. The energy that surrounded us was vibrant, and I closed my eyes and extended my senses, taking a back seat view in the cars that surrounded us. Groups of young adults were either texting their plans for the night or were on their way to a fun
filled destination. Others were preparing for whatever sexual conquest that was on the agenda for the night. A young man was anxiously thinking about his “date” that his brother set him up with, and I wondered just the young woman was that had him in such a frenzy.

  Occasionally snooping into people’s minds is my specialty, and I needed the distraction. Aiden was still focused on the road. His jaw still tight and his thoughts sealed tight in that private vault of a mind of his. Biscuit is knocked out. I guess the day had been too much for him, and with his leg still on the mend he needs every ounce of energy he can muster. I sneak a peek at Aiden and hold my gaze just a little longer than I intended and quickly return my attention to what was going on around me outside of the window.

  “Where are we going?” I ask finally, still looking out of the window.

  “I am taking you to a friend…”

  “Who is this friend?” I continue.

  “Someone who can help with the dreams…” He never even looks at me.

  “Oh…what happened when I was asleep?”

  He paused before replying. “You screamed and then you started thrashing about violently. I had to pull the car over and restrain you to keep you from hurting yourself…”

  I was dreaming that I was thrown into a pull of darkness, which would explain the thrashing about and the screaming. When I hit the dark waters with a hard slap, every bone in my body felt like it was breaking; every cell in my body felt like it was deconstructing. I thought I was dying-I knew I was dying…

  “Is that all?”

  He became tense for a minute before saying, “Yes.”

  There is more. There is always more and he doesn’t want to be the one to tell me.

  “What is your friend going to do to me?” I ask nervously.

  “She won’t harm you. I promise D.”