by Kimbra Swain
My knees weakened, and I wobbled a bit. He held on tight, continuing, “The one thing I can give you that no one else can is my name. You deserve to have a name that isn’t made up that belongs to you. Personally, I think Abigail Castille sounds fantastic, but I’m biased.”
He took my left hand and slid a ring on my finger. I didn’t even look at it. I feared it wasn’t real. I thought if I closed my eyes it would go away. His sincerity flowed over me.
“Lukas,” I whispered, because I couldn’t form any other words.
“I know you. You are freaking out. You don’t have to answer me now. I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow. I just want you to know that I want you to have my name. I love you, and it’s a part of me that I think is important enough to share with you,” he said, lightly kissing me on the lips.
I studied his blue eyes. He didn’t search for an answer. He wanted me to know that he’d give me every part of himself. As I searched my own feelings through my automatic default to panic, I realized that having a name that belonged to me meant something. I always wanted one. What better name that the name of the man I loved?
“Yes,” I said quietly. He stopped breathing, and just looked at me confused. “I said, yes, Lukas.”
He leaned his forehead to mine. “What?” he asked in disbelief.
“I want your name,” I said.
He exploded and jumped into the air. He pumped his fist and yelled, “Yes!” He wrapped me back up in his arms. “I never expected you to say yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you. I just wanted you to know how serious I am about us, and I wanted you to know that I’d love you forever,” he said.
“I already knew that, I just want your name. It’s kinda cool,” I teased.
“No, you stop. Don’t you make fun of me. I poured my heart out,” he said grinning from ear to ear. He picked me up and twirled me around like we were in a movie.
“Put me down. You goof,” I said, laughing at him and allowing myself to be happy. For once, I had hope that something in my life would last. I knew very well that I’d outlive Lukas by a long shot, but I finally understood how Aiden felt about Fayola. Whatever time I had, I wanted it to be with him. “I love you, Lukas.”
He kissed me. “Let’s go home!” He had shifted gears, and I shifted along with him.
“Sounds great!”
We walked hand in hand to the car. Jay got out to open the door for me. He looked surprised. “What?” I asked.
“I just didn’t think you would,” he said.
“Sometimes I surprise even myself,” I replied.
“Okay, that’s once,” he said shutting the door behind me.
I got in the car, finally looking down at the ring. A simply beautiful antique ring. A filigree that resembled the rays of the sun surrounded the center diamond. Smaller diamonds graced the edges of it. He knew my tastes. I wouldn’t wear anything too flashy, especially on my hands. The rings I generally wore included a protection ring on my right hand with a Celtic shield knot on the front and triquetras on the sides, and an opal solitaire that I once got as award for the harvest games in Ireland. I had a few others that I rotated out that I could endow magical properties to use as needed. This was delicate and feminine.
He leaned over and put his arm around me. He held up my hand as I studied it. “Well?”
“It’s beautiful. Where did you find something like this?”
“I lied,” he said and smiled.
“About what?”
“The meeting that I had this afternoon at work. I met with some antique dealers from around town. I didn’t want something from a gaudy jewelry store, and I picked this one because it looks like a sun,” he said proudly.
“It does. It’s perfect,” I said kissing him.
The devil flickered in his eyes, and he said, “And it’s vintage just like you.”
Jay busted out laughing. The car swerved.
I poked him hard in the ribs. “I cannot believe you just said that Lukas Castille!”
He rubbed his ribs, but he kept laughing along with Jay. “I’m sorry. It just came to me. I had to say it.”
“I hate you both!” I teased. I didn’t mean it at all. Then I couldn’t hold back, I laughed too. For a few moments, I felt as young as he actually was. He tried to kiss me, but he couldn’t stop laughing. We giggled all the way home to the lofts.
When we got out of the car, Jay said, “Congratulations Abby. I’m glad you are happy.”
I hugged him. Jay and I had been through hell together. “Thanks. That means a lot to me.” He smiled, and I turned back to Lukas. He took my hand to escort me inside.
Once we got upstairs. There wasn’t a mad rush to the bedroom. Instead, he held me close, and we swayed to music that didn’t play.
“No second thoughts?” he asked.
“Actually, no,” I admitted. “When do you want to do it?”
“Do what?”
“Get married. Have a wedding. This is your idea!” I said teasing him.
“I’d do it right now, but I imagine Ashley will want to plan something huge,” he said.
“Wait a minute. Did you tell her you were doing this?” I asked.
“Maybe,” he admitted.
“You told all of them. Jay, Ashley, Tony, Tommy?”
“Yes, I had to get them to leave us alone for one night. Jay offered to drive us, and I let him. He was there the first night, so it completed the scene. Is that okay?” He described it like he was a director. I’d give him an award for sincerity.
I laughed. “Yes, it’s okay. Are you having second thoughts?”
“Hell no,” he said. That’s when we started to remove clothing. Then the phone rang. “Why!” He yelled at the ceiling. I giggled at him. It was probably just something the crews were reporting.
“Castille,” he answered with a little anger in his voice. He watched me and started pulling off his tie.
I heard a frantic voice on the other end. I moved closer so I could hear. “Mr. Castille, this is Josie. I’m on the crew in West Rancho. My friend Kaylee and I were in a warehouse off Alondra Blvd. We weren’t out looking for trouble. I promise, Mr. Castille, but this man came up and took her. He just dragged her off, and he had several other men with him. They lunged at me, but I ran. Please help me, sir. I’m sorry to call late, but I lost all my other contact numbers when I ran. I only had this one memorized,” she explained.
“Where are you now?” he asked.
“I’m using the pay phone at a gas station on the corner of Alondra and S Central. There is a small park here that I can hide in,” she said.
“Okay, you stay there. I’m on my way with help. Josie, if you need to run, you run. I’ll find you, okay?” he told her confidently. I could tell he didn’t want to scare her.
I hurried into the bedroom, slipped out of the dress, and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I grabbed my Bo staff and nodded at him.
“We are on the way. Hang tight,” he told her, hanging up the phone.
“We will tell Tommy and Tony in the lobby. Let them make the calls. We will go straight there,” I said. He went to the kitchen and pulled out two 9mm pistols we had stashed in one of the drawers. He picked up his ankle holster and a clip from the bedroom.
“Come on,” he said as we rushed to the elevator.
“You going in those suit pants and button down?” I asked.
“I’m not stopping to change. I’ve probably lost one. I won’t lose another because I decided to change my clothes,” he said frustrated.
“Look at me,” I said. “Be calm. You’ve got to clear your mind and focus on getting down there. I know by now I can’t keep you from a fight, but please if one of these guys turns out to be the magic man we are looking for, you’ve got to run. Please Lukas. He will kill you in an instant. I can’t imagine…” My voice faltered.
“Don’t even think that,” he said holding me tight. The doors opened to the lobby, and the guys jum
ped up from the seats in the open area. They knew if we were back downstairs now that something had to be wrong.
“We got a call from a crew member named Josie. She’s down in West Rancho on the corner of Alondra and S Central. She’s hiding in a park. Someone took her friend. It’s possible it’s the ones we’ve been trying to find,” I told them. They nodded and headed to the weapons closet. Jay came in from the parking garage, heading straight into the room with Tommy and Tony.
Lukas walked toward the closet. “Hey, let’s go. They will catch up to us,” I said.
“I’m getting the keys to the bike,” he said.
“Oh,” I said. “You can drive the Ducati?”
“You were in Guatemala for a while. I got bored,” he said. He went in the room, retrieving the keys. I waited at the garage door. “Okay, let’s go.”
After I grabbed two helmets from the shelf just outside the door, I followed him to the bike. He strapped his on, I copied him, and we mounted the Ducati. He strapped his on, and I copied him. He climbed on, and I followed. I wrapped my arms around him. I didn’t particularly like motorcycles, but in this case, it would get us there fast.
I cleared my mind and thought about him. I focused my thoughts on his mind. “Can you hear me?”
“Holy shit,” he said out loud, but since he said it in his mind too, I heard it.
“It’s a communication spell. All I am doing is focusing on you and speaking to you without actually using my voice. You can talk back to me, either out loud and look like a lunatic, or you can focus on me and talk to me inside your mind,” I said.
I felt the confusion in him. He didn’t think he could do it. I waited to let him gain confidence. “That’s creepy as hell, Abby.”
I laughed. “I suppose on some level it is, but I want you to know I’m here. And we will get through this. Now we can talk without anyone else knowing. At some point, I have to end the spell. It’s not something I can hold for a long time. It’s not really draining on my power, but it takes a lot of concentration. I swear that I’m not poking around in your mind.”
“If you were in there, you’d know this was not on my list of things to do tonight,” he lamented.
“Mine either. If we get out there and find its the shamans, we will get away, and you call in our backup. Not the time to be arrogant,” I said, telling myself just as much as him.
“Gotcha,” he said as he leaned around a corner and laid on the gas. We zipped through traffic at an alarming speed. To be honest, it scared the shit out of me. I just held on, storing in power just in case I had to save our asses from getting killed on this thing.
We took the 110 down to Redondo Beach Boulevard. We flew through several traffic lights, turning right down South Central Avenue. He knew exactly where to go because he knew his city. We pulled up at a park on the corner of South Central and Alondra. After we removed our helmets, he pulled his gun from the holster in his back, and I reached out with my magic. I couldn’t feel anything evil or lurking. In fact, I felt no magical movement at all.
A young girl walked out of the shadows toward us. Lukas got off the bike, approaching her. She looked extremely young, and her face was stained with tears. She ran to Lukas, hugging him. He hugged her back like a father would his own daughter. I stayed poised on the bike as I looked around us in the spectrum. I could hear her explaining to Lukas where they saw the man who took Kaylee. I still couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He instructed her to get on a bus and go to the bar where Lucky managed the crew. He told her to tell Lucky everything, then to get a room for the night. She nodded, and he gave her plenty of money to get a bus ride back up to Sunset Boulevard.
“She said there is a junkyard just up the road on the corner of Main and Alondra. The warehouse they were in is adjacent to the junkyard,” he said.
“Let’s get closer, and I’ll mask the bike. We can approach on foot so we don’t alarm anyone,” I said. He nodded, putting the helmet back on. Revving up the bike, we went down Alondra toward the junkyard. He cut down a small road behind some business that had store fronts facing Alondra. After parking the bike, he checked his weapons. I opened my palm and a liquid metal ball appeared above my hand. I motioned it outward with my hands, elongating it like a large liquid metal blanket. I released it, and it draped over the Ducati. It mirrored its opposite surroundings, masking the bike completely. He looked at the bike, then back to me. “That’s fucking cool.”
I waved off his compliment. Everything inside of me feared for him. I remembered exactly why I didn’t want to take his name. I didn’t want him to be tied to me because it could cost him his life. “Promise me that you will try to stay back. I can’t lose you now, Lukas.”
“I promise to follow your lead, but Abby, you know I can’t stay out of it,” he said.
“I know. I love you,” I said and hugged him. He kissed me on the cheek, then on the mouth. We lingered there for just a moment.
“I love you,” he said. We turned and sprinted down the alleyway behind the businesses. As we approached the street which was Main Street, I started to feel the cool power of a dark magic wielder. It floated through the air. It felt chilly in the warmth of the early evening after a sunny day in California.
“I feel something. Wait here until the guys arrive.” He nodded, and we leaned against the building. Silence filled the night. Only the sound of a passing car. He leaned into me as cars passed. He looked like some rich guy paying for a trick in a dark alley way. I held on to him and focused on the dark magic as its foreboding power built up around us. I heard a car pull into the alleyway on the opposite end.
“They are here,” he said, and I nodded. They lurked in the shadows down the alley way, joining us.
“It’s coming from across the street near the junkyard. I think it’s the building right next to it. Do you see it?” I asked.
Tony nodded, and he and Tommy crossed Main Street, walking up the opposite side from us. They stayed along the shadows cast by the buildings. They stopped before the end of the building. Turning back where we positioned ourselves, they nodded. I looked over to Jay. “Get the car ready in case we need to get out quickly,” I said. He nodded and hustled back to the car. Jay could hold his own in a fight if we needed, but he was the wheelman. We needed the wheelman alive. He understood his purpose and followed my instructions.
Lukas and I turned to go up the street. We followed the shadows. When we reached the edge of the buildings, I nodded to Tony and Tommy so we all crossed Alondra simultaneously. The guys were closer to the warehouse than we were. I reached out again, and the strength of the dark magic made my steps falter. The stench of blood rushed over my senses. Lukas pushed me to the fence nearby into a shadow, but he steadied me. “No. It’s too late. We can’t go in there.”
“No, she’s one of mine. We have to try,” he growled.
“Lukas, I swear, if I thought we could save her, I’d go in there with you, guns blazing,” I pleaded with him. Tony and Tommy approached us.
“We can see the girl,” Tony said.
“I smell blood. The power is strong. Too strong for me to handle,” I said.
“She’s tied to the wall. The sacrifice is someone else,” Tony said.
Lukas growled and shifted his weight. It took everything he had not to rush in there. “Lukas, you can’t go in there. They will rip you to pieces. Please don’t go in there.”
“They have two, Abby!”
“Be quiet. They will have all of us if you don’t calm down,” I said.
The low hum of chanting wafted out of an upper window of the warehouse. The ritual wasn’t complete. I listened to the words. The language sounded like an indigenous Mesoamerican dialect. Probably Mayan. They were mostly extinct languages. If you ever came across someone speaking one of these languages, you could safely assume they were very old, and probably very dangerous. Listening intently, I heard the name of the demon that they were calling, and I froze. It was too late. We had to go, and we had to go
now.
“No, we have to leave. Now. Right now,” I said and walked the opposite direction up the street away from Lukas and the twins. I saw Jay slowly approaching in the car. “Now, let’s go,” I said to them as I reached the corner. They all started walking toward me, and they froze. I instinctively put up a personal shield. I hadn’t pulled any magic to myself because I didn’t want anyone alerted to our presence.
I turned and stared into the dark eyes of a man who had blood dripping from his fingers. He grabbed me by the neck through my shield, holding me off the ground as my feet dangled. I could see Jay in the car approaching. He positioned a gun out of the window as he approached. He fired several shots, and they bounced off a black inky surface that appeared only on impact. He stopped the car, starting to get out. An unseen force slammed against the door of the car pinning him inside. The car halted in the middle of the street. I could hear him trying to restart the motor. I could barely see him, and suddenly he slumped over the steering wheel. He didn’t move again that I could see.
“My master wants you, Sun Child,” he muttered. Xemucane called me Sun Child, too. I strained. I couldn’t move. His grip on my neck tightened. “Lukas, run, please, run.” He didn’t answer. I whimpered as the shaman walked down the sidewalk toward the warehouse. My feet dangled, and I looked down as we passed the spot where I had left the guys. We passed their lifeless bodies. I couldn’t tell if they were dead or asleep. Tears flowed down my face. I led them to this in my arrogance. We should have just called Lincoln. I thought we could stay away from it, just offering surveillance, but I knew I was wrong. As we turned the corner into the warehouse, I saw Lukas open his eyes and roll over to look at me. He rolled his finger around the ring I gave him on the first day I met him. It glowed blue. It had protected him from whatever spell the shaman threw at them. I didn’t want to draw attention to him. “Don’t come in here. You go get Lincoln. Please. I can’t marry you if we are both dead.” He didn’t answer.
