Midnight Falls (Sky Brooks Series Book 3)

by McKenzie Hunter

  “Yes,” I finally said.

  Her smile was pleasant, a clear appreciation that I had taken time to answer the question.

  “If he had to, do you believe that Sebastian could kill him?”

  That question caught me by surprise and I grabbed a napkin and quickly wiped the tea that I had spit out off my shirt. “I don’t…I don’t know how to answer.”

  She took a seat in front of me. “If it was between destroying the pack and killing Ethan, would Sebastian be able to do it?” she asked, the low treble of her voice austere.

  “I can’t answer that.” It wasn’t that I couldn’t answer it; I just didn’t want to.

  The searching gaze remained on me for a long time as she waited for an answer that I wouldn’t possibly be able to give. Then she gently patted my hand and smiled. “It is a complex world, isn’t it? Often hard to find your place.”

  Brushing off the topic as inconsequential, she asked, “What brings you here, my dear?” And just like that I was speaking to Claudia, the peddler of overpriced artwork. A woman that didn’t have a problem selling you a six-figure piece of art as though she was giving you a bargain basement price.

  Nope, I wasn’t ready to abandon the topic. “In what scenario would Sebastian have to make that choice?”

  Her smile was pleasing enough. “A number of things in this world have consequences that are as cruel as the one I just presented, if not worse. It is never a bad exercise to have an idea of where the lines are drawn between acceptable and reprehensible behavior. It is also good to know the potential of those that you consider allies.”

  Like everyone in this world, there was so much more to her and for that first time it was a little dark and scary. “What do you think?” I asked.

  The demure curl played at her lips and reached to her eyes. “If I had that answer, I doubt I would have asked you. But I guess a better question would be: what are you willing to do to protect the pack?”

  I considered her ability to foresee the future, but nothing was truly destined. There was always something major, and at times trivial, that could change the course of one’s destiny. If it wasn’t for the betrayal of a Southern Pack member, my life would have been quite different—simple. Now it was something I didn’t even recognize anymore. Was I invested in the pack enough to say “Whatever is necessary”? I didn’t think I was. After what went on with me, with Kelly and even with Ethos, I knew they were important to my safety. Watching Sebastian make a deal with the she-devil confirmed he would do anything for the safety of the members of the pack. What other back-dealing had he participated in to keep me safe, and others? Preoccupied by the madness behind the machine, I forgot to answer the question.

  Perhaps Claudia sensed that I wasn’t able to because she said, “Now let’s get back to the reason for this visit. How can I help you?”

  I explained everything to her, well, the Cliff’s Notes version of it. I left out that part about Ethan being a dark elf. I had a very strong feeling she knew by the tiny smile as I breezed over the information. Honestly, I was there because I felt lost and hopeless and there was a part of me that wanted her to swoop in like she did with Kelly and make it better. I would have been happy if she could just make Marcia give it to me. Should I have been ashamed that I felt that way? Maybe, but I wasn’t. I wanted it to be over without anyone else getting hurt.

  “It is yours, compelled to you in a way that magic can’t restrict. As far as it is concerned, you are its human counterpart. It has an affinity for you, which is why it broke that ward to get to you in the shop. If you are near, and it senses your presence, it will come to you. Just like at the shop.”

  “Why now? If the pull is that great, why didn’t I wake up with it at my doorstep?” I asked.

  “Even magic has its limitations. Do you expect that Marcia or even Josh to be able to perform magic hundreds of miles away? The stronger ones have a reach I estimate at about twenty miles.”

  That wasn’t comforting. Twenty miles was a long way for someone to be able to attack you with magic. I could only imagine strolling down the street, then bam! Crazy magic.

  My curiosity had me distracted. Who was Claudia? Was she acting on behalf of her duties as a godmother, or of something more?

  “That’s great, but I just have no idea where to look. I’m afraid to go back to the in-between and there is no way Marcia will hide it in the same place.”

  “Of course she will not. The Creed’s weakness has become Marcia. They have given her too much power. She has now become a self-appointed leader and they have bowed to her will.”

  “I gathered that,” I admitted.

  “Unfortunately, like most leaders, her arrogance and thirst for power is her weakness.” She scribbled something on a piece of paper. “The Aufero will be wherever she is. I would try her home first,” she said.

  This is where the almighty witch that headed the Creed lived. It didn’t fit the sadistic power-hungry person that had drilled shards of glass into Ethan, a two-story simple white Colonial home, the tan shutters and large back yard overpowered by Norway spruce and Canadian hemlock. Manicured shrubberies surrounded the house, and a small floral garden grew on each side of the stairs. I slid my hands slowly up the rails and was met with a wrought iron mat at the door where most people usually had welcome mats. The house was dark I had watched it for hours and there wasn’t any activity. She had to be gone.

  The back of the house was a little darker; a small patio surrounded an uncovered oval pool. The water was nearly translucent with the help of a lot of chemicals that I could smell. Birchwood trees shaded the open area. I was grateful for the large hanging bosk that cloaked me as I slid the crowbar down the edge of the door and tried to pry it open. It didn’t budge. That was plan B, so I wasn’t very disappointed. Plan A was noisy and destructive, but it would get the job done. As I prepared to strike the window with the crowbar, glass sprayed and I raised my arm just in time to protect my face from shards of glass. Small cuts laced the side of my arm.

  The Aufero sprang toward me with force, slamming into my chest. It took me a minute to grasp what had happened. Just like at the store, it readily came to me. I shoved it in the bag and starting running from the house.

  That was easy.

  If I had learned anything in life, it was to never say it was easy or that it couldn’t get any worse. I made it halfway to my car when Marcia emerged from the house. A wave of her hand and I was thrown back several feet, crashing hard on my butt. The Aufero bounced across the ground several feet from me. I scrambled to my feet only to be thrown back again, her eyes eclipsed to midnight. Josh’s magic was overpowering, simultaneously intoxicating and spurning. It was so powerful that every fiber in me wanted part of it, but logic convinced me that I could never handle it. There was something different about Marcia’s magic; not dark like Ethos’, but dangerous.

  Tree bark dug into my skin as she slammed me into a pine several times. Pressing against the force, I tried to release myself. With a large hunter's knife in hand, she rushed towards me. The Aufero pulsed hard, but nothing happened.

  She came closer, gripping the knife, and just as she pulled back to stab me with it, the Aufero punched into her back. She gasped, dropping the knife and turning her attention to the orb. Even the most talented witch couldn’t perform magic, distracted.

  The orb moved through the air, trying to get to its Moura. It was close, and I moved closer to retrieve it when Marcia’s hand sprang open. A bastion enclosed around the orb and it beat defensively against it in an attempt to free itself. I ran closer to it, but a strong force shoved into me, sending me into the pool. I quickly sank to the bottom. Without enough time to take a breath, I gulped water. Pushing myself from the bottom, I resurfaced. With the Aufero in hand, Marcia pushed me under again and held me there. I clawed at the water until I felt her arm and yanked it, pulling her in with me.

  We fell back into the icy water. If drowning didn’t claim us, hypothermia would. Grabbing
my leg, she used her weight to pull me under, pushing me further down before climbing up my body to get to the edge of the pool. I lurched up, grabbing the back of her clothes and yanking her back with such force she sliced through the water, losing all control. I hurried and pulled myself to the edge and then out of the pool. She sprung up, but I pushed her back under. With a positional advantage, I held her there, coughing up the remainder of water that had entered my lungs. The fight in her slowly died, and the small bubbles that came from her mouth and nose slugged away. Then they stopped.

  I had killed Marcia, wicked witch of the Midwest.

  Strong hands yanked me back and snatched her out of the water. They rolled her to her side and she vomited water. The more water she expelled, the more her breaths came out stronger, unobstructed. She dropped back onto the ground, her eyes closed, her breaths now slow and steady.

  Quell’s disappointed gaze fell on me. I crawled over to the tree and pulled myself up. Pain flared with each movement. I grabbed the trunk for support. Quell’s attention had left me and he lifted Marcia and carried her to the house. He stopped for just a moment to look back at me, and then at the Aufero clenched at my side. As if the sight of looking at me was too much, his gaze dropped and he returned his attention by to Marcia.

  My damp clothes were still matted to my skin, and my eyes stung from the chlorine. Adrenaline was still pumping through me like a drug by the time I arrived at Ethan’s home. He stepped aside, watching me cautiously as I walked into the room. Before I could sit on his couch, he said, “Wait until I get you some dry clothes.”

  Thank you for caring about my well-being rather than your sofa. I sat the Aufero next to me and sank back into the sofa. He started to say something but quickly changed his mind when I glared at him.

  He glanced at the Aufero but didn’t ask any questions, and I knew he wouldn’t. The pack cared more about the results rather than the “how” and “why” of the matter. Consequences they considered as well.

  Ethan handed me a towel as the goosebumps ran over my arms as my body made every attempt to regulate my temperature.

  “Is she still alive?” he asked.

  I nodded, but I couldn’t read how he felt about it.

  “She’ll want it back,” he said.

  “I want red velvet cake to be part of the food pyramid. We can’t always get what we want. She may as well learn it now. ”

  Reading Ethan was always a difficult task; nothing ever betrayed him, and he remained expressionless. I expected him to be a little enthusiastic about me having the Aufero. Instead, he left and returned with a teal t-shirt and jeans and handed them to me. They probably would fit fine, but I really didn’t want to wear any of his conquests’ clothes.

  “So do you have your own little women’s consignment shop back there?” I asked, jerking my head in the direction of his bedroom.

  He shrugged. “People leave things here,” he said.

  “People, or women?”

  “People.”

  “Fine, then you can go back there a get me a guy’s t-shirt; they’re more comfortable.” I shook out the cotton/lycra blend t-shirt with the plunging V-neck, then tossed it to him. He didn’t bother to try to catch it, but instead glanced down at the bundled fabric at his feet.

  The arrogant smirk returning and he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re the one that’s wet; I didn’t think you would be so picky.”

  We had somehow reverted back to our comfy little place consisting of a battle of wills and snarkiness. Fun times.

  After several minutes of verbal fencing, I stood by the dryer, wrapped in an oversized towel, as we waited for my clothes to dry.

  “She will not come after you for it,” Ethan said confidently.

  I didn’t believe that for one minute, yet he seemed very confident about his assertion.

  “Being a Moura will offer some protection, because you all are enigmas. We know there is a bond between you and the Aufero, but she doesn’t know how strong. You now possess the power to do what she has done to many other witches. She’ll stay away because she doesn’t want it done to her.”

  He had pointed out something that had gone through my mind several times since I had arrived at his house. I wanted to render her powerless. How easy would it be to divest her of her power? Remembering what Josh had said, I knew that the spell required a great deal of power from other witches. But I wasn’t sure how it worked with the Aufero. It held the magic of the witches that had been taken from them as punishment over the past twenty-five years. And soon it would be used to remove the dark elven magic in Ethan.

  “It shouldn’t be hard. The Aufero should do most of the work,” Ethan said once I was dressed and on the sofa as he reached for the Aufero placed in my lap. It pulsed, and a diaphanous shimmer surrounded it, protecting itself from him. The wall thickened until it was devoured by it. He inched back, and after a few minutes the wall slowly dissolved.

  The tight smile clung to his lips. “I guess I will walk you through it,” he said. Pulling out a paper from the locked drawer, he handed it to me. Each step to the spell was laid out so meticulously that anyone should have been able to do it, but I was still nervous.

  “Shouldn’t Josh be here?” I asked. We were about to perform a powerful spell and I wasn’t entirely comfortable doing it with Ethan, the bootleg witch. Most of his life he had denied his magical ability, so I was sure he hadn’t mastered it.

  “You can do it,” Ethan said confidently. The ability to embolden people and make them feel like you were invincible and able to meet all demands was a gift that he and his brother shared.

  “When you read, it must be continual; you can’t break the invocations. If you stop, then you must start over. Okay?”

  I still held on to my twinge of doubt that I would be able to rip the death out of Ethan.

  Confident eyes foolish and desperate watched me as I placed the candles on the oversized ottoman as the paper instructed. Ethan was as meticulous as the spell, readjusting them to make sure they were an equal distance apart. He handed me a knife, which I would use to draw blood.

  Why is it always blood? Why not a strand of my hair, a tear, a flake of dandruff, or something?

  Sitting back on his heels, the gentle tenor of his voice pulled me from my thoughts, firm but confident. “You can do this,” he repeated.

  Just because you say it a bunch of times doesn’t make it true. I bit down on my lip, coaxing my self-doubt back.

  I smoothed out the papers that were already lying flat on the surface, then I fidgeted with the candles, repositioned the knife several times, but ended up placing it back in the same position.

  “Whatever happens, you can’t involve Josh. Understand?” Ethan said.

  There was no way I was agreeing to that. The phone was discreetly placed next to me so he was just one button—specifically number four—away.

  “Promise me you will not involve him,” he said.

  “Your constant protection will form the resentment that will eventually destroy your relationship with him.”

  “I didn’t ask for your advice, just your compliance.”

  The bitter silence was all I could offer as he waited patiently for a response. He leaned forward to touch me, to get my attention I assumed, but I lunged back, too far, jamming my back into the sofa a few feet away. I winced, a sharp pain shooting through me.

  He slowly reared back, his cheeks flushed, as he looked away, speaking in a barely audible voice. “There are many things in my control, but far more that aren’t. I protect him because the things that I can’t control are the things that could hurt him the most. You may not see the point of what I do, but there is one. I ask that you respect that. Please, don’t involve him,” he said softly, the concern barely masked by the pain of me moving so quickly away from him.

  I didn’t want him to touch me. I was afraid of him, in a very different way than usual. He was death, not just the threat of it. But it wasn’t his fault. Once again,
I couldn’t help but think the sanctions held against the dark elves weren’t an act of cruelty but that of grace. It was to save them from a life restrictions and limited possibilities. I wanted to apologize, but I wasn’t sorry. His agitation could have led to my death.

  Ethan was one who had difficulty controlling himself because of his animal, which he had years to learn to control. He only had days with this new power and I doubt he had mastered it.

  I moved slowly back towards that ottoman and then knelt in front of it. Ethan took his position at my side. Stretching my arms out until my hands were flat against the ottoman and in front of me. He hesitated before he moved closer. His eyes closed, he inhaled a deep, slow breath, and he extended his fingers to touch me. When he was just inches from me, I fought the internal protective urges that he triggered. He needed this. His hands lingered over mine before his fingers intertwined with mine. “Please, don’t get Josh involved.”

  I nodded, but we both knew it was a half-hearted commitment.

  He smiled. He held my hands for a long time. This had to work because he couldn’t live like this. He was afraid of himself, unfamiliar with the body he had controlled for so long.

  With the Aufero in hand, I started to recite the invocation on the paper, following it word for word. Ethan rested back on his heels with a confidence I wished I possessed. The knife sliding over my flesh only stung for a moment. It was a feeling I had become accustomed to. I whispered the invocation and waited for Ethan to do his part. It didn’t seem difficult for him to inflict himself with the cut before touching the opposite end of the Aufero.

  There: I could feel it, a shift in the air, an angry burst of wind engulfing the room, a keening howl. Objects moved around us in fury, glass shattered in the distance, and the room filled with magic so strong waves of it prickled and lingered on my skin the Aufero expanded, stretched so far I raised my arm in anticipation of it shattering. It rebounded with force and when it expanded back, the power of it sent us across the room. Ethan crashed on top of me, the bookshelf collapsed to the floor, objects slammed into us. Ethan was my shield, and soon everything came to a calm.