I had set the dumb thing on fire.
Jumping up, I grabbed my bottle of water, pouring it down along the flames. It slowly died, winking out of existence like it had never been. I stared in shock as the water dripped down on my carpet, turning it into a soggy mess. The wax candle, still standing, was completely untouched by the hungry flames.
I did that. I had called fire. I was a witch. But it hadn’t gone as I planned. It had taken control and nearly set our apartment on fire. I did have powers, but I couldn’t control them. That not only made me a Supernatural, it made me a very, very dangerous one.
Twenty Four
I slid out of my convertible and straightened my black slacks. It had been a week since I had found out I was “special” and I was doing remarkably well. I still couldn’t control my powers and I didn’t know what I was going to tell my movie star boyfriend, (thank God he had left on a business trip due to his emergency) but I was feeling good. I was a witch and I could accept that. I was even beginning to think I could embrace it. I just needed to get my powers under control.
And for Ryan to understand.
Brushing those thoughts aside, I plastered a smile on my face as I headed through the staff parking lot behind the DenMark. I had work to do, work I was good at, and I wasn’t going to let the “what ifs” distract me.
I hurried, my heels clicking on the cement as I went. I knew Van would be waiting for me, eager to make a coffee run as soon as I got there. I should have stopped and got her a coffee on the way. Tomorrow, I swore to myself, tomorrow I would meet her with caffeine in hand.
A rustling sounded in the trees surrounding the parking lot. I glanced up, an uneasy feeling suddenly coming over me. I needed to get inside the hotel and I needed to do it fast. Picking up the pace, my heels like machine gun fire, I all but sprinted across the blacktop.
The rustling grew louder and the trees exploded in red. It filled the sky around me, blocking the sun and casting me into an unnatural shadow. The red screamed in shrill anguished cries and I realized it was birds. Hundreds of blood red birds had flown from the trees at the same time and were now circling over head.
Though I didn’t know what they were, I sensed the danger they brought. I peeled my eyes from the sky and double-timed it. The last thing I wanted to do was become bird food for these over grown parakeets.
Before I had taken even five steps, a small group of the birds swooped down and surrounded me, squawking at me in defiance.
A gasp of air escaped me as I started to panic. The birds circled around me, their sharp beaks only inches from my delicate skin. These were definitely not millet fed. You could tell by the looks in their eyes. Or was it the crimson stains on their talons?
I stepped back, hoping I wasn’t completely boxed in. They let me break through their ranks and I hurried in the opposite direction, running for the cover of the trees nearby.
The small cluster followed me, the breeze from their wings flowing over my back like ghostly fingers. They gathered behind but cleared a path for me to follow. I was being herded.
I turned around once I had reached the grass, facing the small pterodactyls flapping in front of me. “What are you? What do you want from me?” I screamed at them.
They squawked together, their cries turning into words. “We are the Byangorma,” they spoke, hatred in their eyes. “We must do what is asked of us.”
I stared at them. I didn’t know if I was terrified or speechless over the fact they answered me. I know I asked, but really, who thought they’d answer?
Finding my voice, I tried to keep my emotions in check. “What is it you have to do?”
Once again they answered together. “We must not let the Apex arise.”
“The Apex?” I asked. What in the world were they talking about? Had this new world come with a new language as well?
The birds remained silent on the subject. They swooped forward, driving me into the trees. One of the beaks tore into my shoulder, letting me know they meant business. I didn’t have a choice, I was forced to go where they wanted me to go.
I ran as fast as I could, my hand pressed to the hole in my shoulder. I didn’t know how bad it was. I didn’t want to know how bad it was. I couldn’t be thinking about that right now. I knew I was heading straight into a trap. And I couldn’t see any way to avoid it.
Stumbling into a clearing, I landed hard on my knees. Great, so much for my work clothes. Blood and grass stains? So not in this year.
The birds’ cries grew distant. I glanced up, realizing they had pulled back. Was I really spared from their attack, or were they only getting out of the way?
I rose slowly, my legs shaking from the adrenaline coursing through me. I glanced over at the blood staining the left side of my shirt. I needed help. And I needed the comfort of the DenMark. I turned and almost peed my pants. A woman was floating out of the trees. Long white hair trailed behind her as she came towards me. Her ancient wrinkled face snarled at me. I knew this wasn’t a normal old hag. For one, I could see right through her, and two, every inch of her was on fire.
I stepped back quickly. Even though she was a ghost of some sort, I knew those flames were very real. They could kill me if I got too close.
Snickering sounded from behind my back. I turned, afraid of what I might find. More old hags floated towards me. Once again, I was surrounded, this time by a bunch of old women who didn’t know how to moisturize. This day just kept getting worse.
They moved in closer, surrounding me in a small circle. I could feel the heat from their flames licking at my skin. I tried to stay as far from them as I could, which wasn’t very far at all. The air around me went stale as the heat pushed in on me. It clung to me, coating me like a second skin. These freaks were going to flash fry me alive.
I realized quickly that was not the case. I was going to suffocate long before I was cooked. Their flames were quickly consuming all the oxygen in the circle. I went lightheaded and the world swam before my eyes. I watched it tip on its head as the soft grass reached out to caress my cheek.
I stretched out a hand, fingers wrapping in the blades of grass, as I tried to focus my oxygen-deprived brain. The ground hadn’t moved. I did. I laid on the ground, looking up on the hags as I choked on the vacuum the clearing had become, realizing with perfect clarity I was dying.
I was alone with a bunch of ugly spinsters and I was pounding on death’s door. How tragically uncool was that? I couldn’t even have a proper death scene with someone sobbing over me, mourning the void I would leave behind in this world.
I would never get to say goodbye to my friends. I wouldn’t get a chance to tell Ryan who I really was. My future was being erased. I would never get the chance to become the witch I was meant to be.
Hold the phone. I was a witch. I could do something about it. I could stop it.
Taking my last bit of focus, I tried to save myself. I tried to shoot the blue light out like I had with the fanged attacker. I tried to form a red-eyed shadow to charge in and save the day.
But nothing happened.
I was a failure. I failed at being a fiancée. I failed at acting, and now, I failed at being a witch. And this time it would cost me my life.
I couldn’t die. I was only 23. I had so much life left to live. There was so much I still needed to experience. It was unfair to have that all ripped away from me by some crazy old biddies.
As they pressed in on me, their fire growing hotter, I used the last of my air to scream. It tore from me as if it had a life of its own; shaking the trees around us, driving the stupid red birds higher into the sky. I screamed long and hard. It was what was left of me. And I was going to make myself heard on the way out.
I stopped when I felt the air change around me. It was still thick with heat, but now something else was there as well. I could feel it brush against my arms, a tingling sensation of energy. It grew stronger around me. The taste of it coated my tongue. Even in my dying haze, I knew what it was.
&nb
sp; Electricity.
Bolts of lightning shot down around me, striking the hags where they stood. They screamed in agony, their bodies thrown back from the force of the impact. The circle broke and I could breathe once again.
I gulped greedily, expanding my lungs with the oxygen I so badly needed. I flinched as a big fat rain drop struck me. I glanced up and blinked at the clouds rolling in. A storm was gathering over head and soon the few raindrops around me turned into a downpour.
The birds screamed over head and the hags’ bodies sizzled around me, their flames snuffed out by the sudden rain storm.
I sat there watching the steam pour off those bodies before they faded away, completely gone from this world. They had come to kill me and, instead, I had killed them. Somehow, some way, I had survived the storm.
A shuddered sob racked my chest and I felt tear drops join the rain as I knelt in that clearing, soaked to the bone. I had done this. I had taken my first lives.
Twenty Five
I sat in Van’s office, dripping water on the carpet. I couldn’t control the flood of tears escaping my eyes. I, Maxie Duncan, misunderstood rich girl from Maine, was now a killer. How had this happened? Where had I gone wrong? Next thing you know, I’d be robbing banks and kidnapping babies.
Was this what being a witch was about? If it was, I wanted nothing to do with it anymore. I wanted to go back to my normal life. One where all I had to worry about was when the next sale was or who I was going to marry. I wasn’t cut out for this kind of life. I didn’t want to be a killer.
“Maxie, calm down. It’s over,” Van said as she finished bandaging my shoulder.
“I killed people, Van. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
She took a deep breath and stood up. “Relax. They weren’t people. From the sound of it, they were Candilejas. Ancient spectral entities. I’m surprised they would come after you. They’re vicious, but usually they only attack if provoked.”
I looked up at her, wiping at the tears. I couldn’t believe we were even having this conversation. “I didn’t do anything to them. I didn’t even know they existed.”
“I don’t know,” she said, heading for the door. “You should talk to Jensen. He knows a lot more about this stuff than I do. He could put Giles to shame with the knowledge he has.” She chuckled as she looked at me. Great. Just what I needed. Some pop culture reference that wasn’t even current.
She saw the roll of my eyes and continued quickly, “You should have him look at that shoulder, too. It’s pretty bad. He could help the healing process. Speed it up.” She opened the door. “I’ll get you some towels and some hot tea,” she said, slipping out.
I glanced over at my shoulder, moving it slightly. Van had gotten it to stop bleeding, but it still hurt. A lot. Maybe I should have Jensen look at it. He healed my head on the spot. Maybe he could also tell me why these things were attacking me. I needed someone to explain that to me. The attack in the elevator might have been random, but this, this was planned. What had I done to cause it? Why was I suddenly wearing a bull’s-eye on my back? I honestly needed answers. I couldn’t stop them until I knew what was going on.
I felt a vibration at my right hip and reached in the pocket of my slacks, pulling out my phone. I was surprised it still worked given how soaked I was. I glanced at the caller ID. Ryan! My knight-in-shining-armor come to rescue me from my new life of weirdness.
Well, one could dream, couldn’t she?
Wiping as much water as I could from the side of my face, I answered my phone. It was a good thing he couldn’t see me right now. I’d be mortified. The drowned rat look never inspired romance.
“Hi,” I said quickly, almost too breathlessly for my own taste. Nothing like telling a guy how vulnerable you are.
“God, how I missed the sound of your voice,” Ryan said, his voice making me tremble inside. I think I was luckier in that department. I could listen to him read the phone book all day and still beg for more.
“I missed you,” I told him, trying hard to keep the misery out of my voice. It didn’t work.
“What’s wrong, Maxie?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that,” he said, seriousness backing his words. “Did something happen while I was gone?”
Yes. I wanted to scream it. I wanted to tell him everything. I needed him to tell me everything would be alright. But I couldn’t. This new world of mine was a horrible, dangerous place. I couldn’t involve him in that. I just couldn’t.
“No,” I lied. “Everything’s fine. It’s just been a long week. Work’s been busy. And I’ve been missing you like crazy.”
“Well,” he said, a grin creeping into his voice. “You don’t have to miss me any longer. I’m back at the hotel. Come see me.”
Now that sounded like pure paradise. I looked down at my clothes and felt the joy drain from me. I couldn’t go see him like this, soaked, wet, and bloody, he’d have a heart attack on the spot. I wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from him after that. I’d be lucky if he’d ever let me out of his sight again. Then again,…that could be a good thing.
Reason won out and I sighed. “I have a few errands I need to get done today,” I heard myself say. Who said I couldn’t act? I almost believed it myself. “Can I come see you this evening?”
“Sure,” he said, sounding more than a little disappointed. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Ryan. I won’t be too long. I promise.”
“Good. The sooner I have you in my arms, the happier I’ll be.”
Twenty Six
Van came back, informing me she had found someone to cover my shift for the day. Partially dry and with warm tea in my belly, she sent me home to change and get warm. It dawned on me then how supportive she truly was. She treated me like family. I’d never had that in my life before. Sure, I had friends back in New Haven. They were the ones I socialized with, hung out at the country club with, shopped with, but I couldn’t turn my back on any of them. Ever. They’d be quick to stab me in it, their polite smiles never leaving their faces as they did.
No wonder Stephen had left me. I didn’t belong with that crowd. I had always been different. A little too nice. A little too trusting. And you know what? That’s okay. It made me better than them.
I had been taking Van’s friendship for granted. Well, no more. I’d find a way to repay her for everything she had done for me. Maybe once everything calmed down around here, we could do a road trip. A witch and a pixie on the road together. Now that would be a sight to see.
I got home and took a quick shower, examining my shoulder as I did. It was red and puffy, blood oozing around the edges from the hot water running on it. I bandaged it as best as I could. I definitely needed to see someone about it, even if it was only Jensen. I hoped those nasty red birds couldn’t give you rabies. With my luck, it would be some magical kind and turn me into a zombie.
Dressing quickly, I threw on my cutest long sleeved shirt. It was too warm for it, but I didn’t want the world thinking I was a walking wounded. Even if I was.
I cringed at the thought of Ryan seeing it. There would be too many questions I couldn’t answer. Not if I wanted to keep things secret. I’d have to tell him the truth, or give up my love life for a while. Talk about a rock and a hard place.
I finished getting ready, putting everything else out of my mind. My boyfriend was back in town. I was going to spend the evening like a normal person. I was going to laugh, eat, cuddle, and above all else, I was going to relax. Ryan might be a movie star, but he was the one ordinary thing in my life. And that’s what I needed. Something real. Something that didn’t seem to come from some nightmare reality. I just needed some peace.
By the time I actually made it back to the hotel, evening was in full swing. I hoped Ryan hadn’t given up on me. A girl needed time to pull herself back together after all. I hurried through the lobby, hoping no one would see me. I wasn’t even sure if Van would still be there, but I didn�
��t want to risk it. She would want to talk. She’d want to know if I had Jensen look at my shoulder. I didn’t want to do any of that. I only wanted to see Ryan.
I felt as if I was almost running by the time I reached his suite door. Everything would be fine once I was in his arms. I could let the events of late wash away. For a few blissful hours, I could be regular old Maxie Duncan.
Before I could even raise my hand to knock, the door opened wide and Ryan was standing there, smiling that gorgeous smile at me. “I thought I heard someone out here,” he said. And just like that, I was in his arms.
He pulled me inside, shutting the door firmly behind us. “I missed you,” he said, staring down at me with so much intensity.
“I missed you, too.” It was the honest-to-goodness truth. The last few days would have gone a lot differently if he had been there. I never wanted him to leave my side again.
He leaned down, his lips inches from my ear. My breath caught at the close proximity of his mouth. I longed to be this close to him, closer still if I could get it, yet something about him made me freeze like a deer sensing a wolf. It must be some long forgotten instinct left over from days gone by, when a male would take his mate by force. Taking a deep breath, I forced those morbid thoughts away. He was my boyfriend, not some caveman. He was gentle and kind, and I had missed the feel of his skin against mine.
Ryan moved closer as if sensing my thoughts. “So how are we going to make up all this time spent apart?” he whispered in my ear.
Before I could get a word out, my body answered for me. I pulled him close, our lips firmly connected. He didn’t miss a beat as his arms went around me, pulling me closer.
I moaned into him, enjoying the feel of his hands on my body. A thought popped up in my mind. Why was I not going to sleep with him tonight? Oh, yeah. That’s right. My shoulder. Oh, well. Some things were just too important. I would just have to come up with an excuse after we were done.
Maxie Duncan Box Set Page 11
