by N M Thorn
“Cole, take Ace and get out,” he said quietly so only his brother with his vampiric hearing could hear him.
‘What the hell is that?” whispered Ace, her voice shaking, her cold fingers digging deeper into his arm.
“Cole, go now,” repeated Damian. “I have no time for explanations. I need—”
“I’m not leaving you to fight this thing alone!” hissed Cole, stepping next to him. “I’m not leaving you alone ever again!” His voice rose, ringing with defiance.
A low growl echoed through the area, rumbling like thunder, and the ground shook again as the beast took a step forward.
Damian grabbed Ace and pushed her into Cole’s arms. Without giving Cole a chance to think, he turned and shouted, “Ventius.” A blast of wind erupted from his hands, forcing both the vampire and the young woman out of the cave. Damian cast the second spell, erecting a large power shield blocking the entrance, leaving his brother outside.
In a heartbeat, Cole was at the see-through barrier Damian erected. With his full speed and strength, he punched the shield, but to no avail. Damian grunted but withheld the attack.
“Dima, no!” his brother yelled, his face ashen.
“Nikolai, listen to me,” said Damian urgently, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder at the monster. “I need you to take Ace to safety. We can’t kill this beast. The best I can do is seal him in this cave. But to do it, I need you to leave, and I need you to be fast—your kind of fast. Because I’ll be right behind you, and trust me, you don’t want to be underground when I’m wielding my element.”
“I’m not burying you a second time, brother!” growled Cole. “If you die, I’ll find you behind the veil and kill you myself.” He lifted Ace into his arms and vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Damian turned around and raised his arms in what he hoped was a placating manner.
“Father of All Beasts,” he said, carefully gathering as much of the elemental energy as he could in his body, “Mighty Indrik-Beast—”
The beast roared, digging the ground with its hoof. The walls of the cave shook, and clouds of dust and debris fell from the ceiling. The runes and sigils on the door across the room ignited brighter. Damian staggered back until his back hit his own shield.
Dammit...
“I came in peace?” he muttered without taking his eyes off the fuming monster while carefully removing the shield blocking his way out.
Indrik-Beast roared again, rearing on its hind legs before he charged Damian.
Dammit! This is why I always work alone... I hope you are out of the mines by now, brother...
Damian darted outside the cave and spread his arms, in one move connecting with the elemental Earth and channeling the energy from within. His muscles bulged with unimaginable strain, and his entire body lit up with a bright orange light. The walls trembled as he ripped out a large mass of dirt and rock and propelled it forward, blocking the entrance. The beast hit the barrier he created, partially demolishing it.
Damian kept backing away as he repeated the procedure, raising one barrier after another until he was sure that if the beast decided to follow him, it would take him at least a few minutes to break through the massive barricade he had constructed. The wall he created shook, and he knew he wasn’t that lucky after all—the monster didn’t want to give up.
He let go of all control of his power and allowed his element to consume him. The ground shook, responding to his mental command, and the grinding, rumbling noise of moving rocks filled the narrow passage. Damian turned around and ran, making the ceiling collapse and walls come down in his wake. He had no idea how he knew which corridor and passage to take, but he trusted his intuition and didn’t stop to check for directions. All hell broke loose behind him as he raced through the corridor, passing the main entrance.
When he saw the rectangle of the exit door, he didn’t slow down and practically flew through it. Spinning around, he manifested a huge block of solid rock and hurled it at the doorway, sealing it forever. Slowly, he turned around and got his power under control, his chest shuddering with heavy breaths.
Ace lay on the ground face down, and Cole was on top of her, covering her with his body, his arms folded over her head. As soon as he saw Damian, he was on his feet by his side.
“Cole,” Damian whispered and dropped to his knees as his legs gave in. “It’s over.”
Cole lowered down next to him, crossing his legs. “Are you okay?” he asked casually, but his hoarse voice was beyond strained.
“I’ll be fine,” replied Damian, wiping the sweat off his forehead, just now realizing that he was covered in dust and dirt from head to toe. “Drained a little.”
Ace approached them and sat down on the other side of Damian, her gaze darting from him to Cole and back, a strange discomfort lingering around her. Cole just took a quick glance at her and rolled his eyes.
“We’re brothers, silly.” He chuckled softly. “You have just witnessed some serious magic, a beast worthy of any Hollywood horror flick, and the only thing you want to ask us about is our relationship?”
“I didn’t ask that,” she said indignantly, folding her arms.
“You didn’t have to,” objected Cole, snidely. “The question was written all over your face. Now, come here, please.” The vampiric energy spiked around him, and his eyes lit up a bright red.
Ace shook her head and didn’t move. “Mr. Adams, you are a vampire, aren’t you?” she whispered, inching her way closer to Damian. “Please don’t make me forget all this...” She grabbed Damian’s arm, gazing up at him pleadingly. “I swear I’m not going to say anything to anybody. I want to remember.”
Damian smirked faintly, meeting her pleading dark eyes. “Ace, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” He covered her hand with his and squeezed it gently. “Once you are exposed to the World of Magic, there is no way out. The ways of this world are complicated, filled with pain and loss. Are you sure this is what you want? Cole can set you free from all of this.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she replied without giving it a second thought. “Being normal is highly overrated. I want to remember every little detail. Especially the real you, Mr. Adams.” She glanced at him and sighed. “You both are amazing.”
Cole relaxed his tensed shoulders, and his eyes returned to their normal blue color. “Remember, you can’t talk to anyone about it. Exposing the World of Magic to humans is a serious offense. I’m sure Damian and I will pay for getting you into this mess.” He frowned, shaking his head.
“I understand.” She shrugged, all but rolling her eyes. “Who’s going to believe me, anyway? Cole Adams, the owner of one of the biggest tech companies in Arizona and most eligible bachelor, is a vampire. Ri-i-ight.” She giggled, pressing her hand to her mouth. “I don’t need to get a one-way ticket to the local psych ward, thank you very much.”
Damian threw a quick glance at his brother. “She has a point.”
Carefully making sure that Ace couldn’t see his back, he pulled his shirt off and lay down flat on the ground. With all the barriers between him and the Earth gone, he felt its energy flowing through his body, energizing him and partially restoring his strength. With a soft groan, he relaxed and closed his eyes.
“You’re a vampire, Cole, I understand that.” He heard Ace’s voice above him but didn’t bother opening his eyes. “But what is Damian? A wizard?”
“I’m no one,” muttered Damian flatly.
“He’s a lot more than a wizard, Ace. He’s a Child of Earth.” His brother’s voice modulated slightly, and Damian cracked his eyelids open, observing him through his eyelashes.
“I’m sorry,” Ace mumbled, sending a curious glance at Damian, “but I have no idea what that means.”
“It means he is directly connected with the elemental energy of Earth. He doesn’t need to use spells like wizards would to use its power. He can bend it to his will, do things you and I can’t even comprehend,” explained Cole patiently. “He’s
also a wizard. It means he can cast spells as you witnessed earlier.” He sighed, meeting Damian’s warning gaze.
“Whoa...” she whispered breathlessly. “Are there others like him?”
“As far as I know, besides the Earth Elemental, there is only one more Child of Earth,” replied Damian. “He’s not here.”
“Have you heard about Antaeus?” asked Cole, rising, brushing the dust and sand off his pants and shirt.
“Greek mythology?” Ace’s eyebrows shot up. “He was a son of two gods, as far as I remember.”
“He was also the most well-known Child of Earth.” Damian scrambled into a sitting position and put his shirt back on. Switching his attention to his brother, he held out his hand, and Cole grabbed it, pulling him to his feet. “Cole, we should get going. It’s getting late, and I want to get some shuteye before my night shift starts.”
I’m exhausted... How am I supposed to protect River when I can barely move? He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling soreness settling in his muscles at the thought of a sleepless night ahead.
“Wait, guys, just one more question?” Ace hopped to her feet.
“What?” Damian and Cole asked at the same time.
She giggled, her bubbly personality taking over again. “What was that beast in the mines? And how did it get there in the first place?”
“It was the Indrik-Beast,” explained Damian, starting on his way to the other side of the pit where they had left the car. “If you’re familiar with Slavic mythology, he’s the Father of All Beasts.”
“Slavic mythology,” she repeated in disbelief, catching up with him “No, I know nothing about that. You’re saying all that with such conviction, as if mythological beasts are real.”
“Everything is real,” muttered Damian without slowing down. “Cole is a vampire. Real enough for you?”
“Yeah, and this is the coolest thing ever,” she whispered, winking at Damian as if he was her best buddy. “My boss is a vamp!”
Damian frowned. As he approached the car and opened the back door for her, he leaned down a little and whispered, “Be careful, Ace. Real vampires are not like what they show in the movies. They are deadly and brutal. Cole is not a common representative of his kind.”
At least, I hope he is not... An unwelcome thought crossed his mind, but he forced it away. It was his past speaking—The Shadow Hunter-slash-Slayer in him. Through his long life, he had killed more vampires than he could count, and all of them were cold-blooded predators. Cole was his brother, and unlike those rogue vamps, he was trying to coexist with humans peacefully.
The rest of the trip back to Paradise Manor, they drove in silence. Cole looked like he was deep in his thoughts, a frown making his features appear harder than usual. Damian was too tired to talk. Feeling slightly lightheaded from the excessive use of his magic, he closed his eyes and folded his arms in his lap, relaxing in his seat. Ace was slowly coming down from all the excitement, and by the time Cole parked his SUV in front of the mansion, she was fast asleep in the back.
Damian opened the door, but before walking out, he turned to his brother. “Cole, step out with me,” he whispered and closed the door softly so he wouldn’t wake Ace up. He walked around the vehicle and halted in front of Cole by the driver’s door. “We need to talk when there is no one around. I was hoping you could help me with some research. Can you come by tomorrow morning?”
Cole nodded. “How about seven? I need to be at the office by nine. I hope two hours is enough?”
“Perfect.” Damian glanced at the house, noticing the light in the windows of the right wing. River was home already. “Finding the Indrik-Beast in the mines gave me some unexpected insights into the mystery of Paradise Manor. I have a few ideas. I’ll tell you everything when I see you tomorrow.”
“Try to get some rest,” said Cole, shaking his head. “You’re drained more than a Child of Earth should be after a single encounter.”
“I know,” replied Damian, a dull ache settling in his chest, but he shrugged and added indifferently, “It is what it is. I’ll be fine.”
Cole’s frown deepened, but he got back into his car and looked up through the window. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Damian followed Cole’s SUV until it disappeared behind the gates and headed toward the house.
Chapter 18
~ Damian Blake ~
Damian unlocked the door and cracked it open, sharpening his senses. Since he didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary, he walked into the house and headed toward the mirror. He brushed his fingers over its surface, staring intently into its depths, but couldn’t see anything except his own reflection.
“You didn’t kill Nick Evans, did you?” he muttered under his breath. “You were trying to save him. Just like you helped me last night. Cole was right. You’re not a ghost. You’re something entirely different, and I’ll find a way to communicate with you. I promise...” He ran his fingers over the mirror again, but since the spirit didn’t respond, he sighed and headed toward his room.
Even before he approached the living room, he heard Jesse’s voice coming from the inside and shuddered inwardly. He halted, but then resumed walking, stepping as soft as he could on the carpet.
I’d rather face the Indrik-Beast again than spend one minute talking to this self-important asshole...
Cursing his bad luck, he walked through the hallway, hoping to avoid crossing paths with River’s partner. He felt too tired to tolerate his arrogance and insolence right now, and at the mere thought of it, his patience was running dangerously thin.
“Are you kidding me?” Damian heard Jesse’s voice and grunted, annoyance flaring in him to the next level. “River, what is this ogre doing in your house at night?”
Jesse walked out of the living room and seized Damian’s arm, stopping him. Jesse’s eyes swept up and down as though sizing him up, and his lips curved in disdain. Damian’s knee-jerk reaction was to yank his arm out of this man’s grip and send him flying across the floor, but instead, he clenched his teeth and did nothing, staring down at him frostily.
“What were you doing, asshole? Digging graves? You’re covered in dirt like the homeless mongrel you are.” He let go of Damian’s arm and rubbed his hands together, cleaning the dust off his palms.
“I told you, Jesse,” replied River. She made her way out of the room and stepped between her partner and Damian. “He’s here because I want him to be here. You were always a great friend to me and Nick, and I appreciate that you care about my wellbeing so deeply. I truly do, but right now, I need you to respect my choices and back the hell off.” She sounded calm and even, but the iron tones were clear in her voice as she moved closer to her partner, placing her hands on her hips.
“You want him to be here,” parroted Jesse, his eyebrows climbing up, a layer of bitterness underlying his words. “So, let me get this straight. You rejected my offer to keep you safe, but you trust this drifter? Come on, River... You know nothing about him. He could be a—"
He stopped talking mid-sentence and threw his hands in the air, a pained expression crossing his face. As Damian observed his behavior, the same questions surfaced in his mind. Was Jesse a man in love and was it jealousy talking, or was there some other reason for his attitude?
River glanced up at Damian, a faint smile touching her lips for a heartbeat. “Damian, I’m sorry. Please ignore him.”
“It’s okay, River,” he replied without taking his eyes off Jesse. “I need to clean up and then get a couple of hours of sleep before I start working. If you need me earlier, just wake me up.”
He turned around and walked away, blocking the sound of Jesse’s voice as he was trying to reason with River.
The night went by uneventfully, and Damian managed to get another hour of sleep before Cole called him to let him know that he’d be at Paradise Manor in ten minutes. Cole rang the bell precisely at seven, meeting River on her way out to work. Dressed in a stylish gray suit with a digital tablet in his hand,
he looked just like any businessman. Except for the dark sunglasses he wore at such an early hour, there was nothing about him that would point out his true nature.
“Do you eat normal food?” asked Damian, watching Cole settling at the kitchen table.
“Define normal,” replied Cole with a shrug and then added, “If I have to. It doesn’t do anything for me, but living in the world of humans, I have to pretend to be one.”
“How about coffee?”
“I take mine with one spoon of sugar and an infusion of A-negative.” Humorous twinkles lit up in his eyes as he cocked an eyebrow at his brother.
“Dream on, Dracula Junior. I’m not bleeding to make your coffee taste better,” murmured Damian. Turning to the counter, he noticed Gypsy lying next to the coffee machine, licking her paw with a nonchalant look.
“Your vamp is cute,” she purred between licks and raised her head, her emerald eyes drilling into Cole.
Damian smirked. “Hey, Cole, Gypsy thinks you’re cute,” he murmured, filling two cups with coffee. “I think she needs to raise her standards.”
“I’m flattered, my lady.” Cole bowed ceremoniously to Gypsy, eliciting a groan out of Damian. Cole’s lips curved up at the corners, making him look like a sly cat himself.
Hearing a soft thud, Damian turned around and noticed a small plastic creamer cup lying on the floor. He picked it up and placed it back on the counter.
“Now, be serious for one second. How do you take your coffee?” he asked, looking back at his brother.
“Black,” replied Cole, but for some reason, his blue eyes crinkled at the corners as if he was stifling laughter.
Damian heard another soft thud and saw one more creamer cup lying on the floor. He picked it up, wondering what was going on, but as he straightened, he saw Gypsy gently pushing the next cup off the table with an innocent expression in her round eyes.
“Gypsy, what the hell?” he yelled, throwing his hands up.
