Ten minutes passed, and everyone was still cheering their hearts out, and I was beginning to think Sarah had been mistaken, but then I heard a scream from somewhere in the crowd. Not a happy sound, but a scared sound. I looked at Randy, the cop to my right, and signaled for him to go check it out. No one was panicking yet, and that was what we wanted to maintain for as long as we could.
I felt a tickle in the back of my throat from the cold wind and started to cough to relieve the itch.
Then I saw Asher running toward me, and I couldn’t have been happier to see that he was safe.
“Asher, what are you—” Before I could finish asking him why he was here, his body dropped to the ground and blood started pouring out of his skin. Slits on his forehead appeared, and I screamed as I took off for his body.
“Please no, Asher!” I cried for this to be a dream, and he wasn’t dying before my eyes. I heard other screams around me and cries of pain, but I couldn’t see beyond Asher’s glossy eyes as he bled out in my arms.
“Don’t you die, magic boy. You heal yourself and then help me catch Bellmont. There is no way I’m losing you, too.” I ran my fingers down his face, wishing I had his magical influence over energy.
“I love you, Echo.” He shuddered, and then his breathing stopped. I roared in pain, my heart shattering, and I became a bear without thinking. My human form couldn’t process the emotions of losing the man I loved, so my animal took over.
“Welcome to the New Year!” a familiar voice yelled into a microphone from the stage above.
The crowd was screaming and shifting, terrified by the sudden presence of the bear and the bleeding bodies around them.
My eyes narrowed, and I didn’t even care that people could see me change as I became a hawk and flew toward Robert Burke with revenge in my heart.
He was part of this.
“Fear is the path to redemption. Look around you, those who were born with the powers from Satan himself are a danger to us. They know our fears and have control over our very safety. We must stop them before they spread their plague among the holy.”
I changed before him into a woman, not caring that literally all of the world was seeing me naked. I wanted him brought to justice and that was all that mattered.
“See, a woman with hate in her soul will set fire to the world. This demon changes into any animal she chooses. She can turn on you like a lion looking for prey and become a fly on your wall, listening to your personal matters.”
A fly on the wall?
That thought stopped me. He knew more than he was letting on.
“Those with powers, you have been outed, as we normal, God-fearing people deserve to know who we stand beside. Every one of you have been given a drug that showed you a hallucination of your greatest fears. And since we know you are all cowards who hide in the night, you will stay in that hallucination forever.” Robert smiled at me, and I read between the lines of his words.
Hallucination of our greatest fears.
My greatest fear was losing someone I loved again after getting close. I turned toward the crowd below and scanned the faces. He wasn’t dead. I knew it. I had faith that Asher wasn’t dead, and when I heard someone call out my name, I knew I was right.
Asher was staring at me with wide eyes, concern written all over his face.
My body sagged with relief, seeing him there.
“Face your fears,” I whispered to myself and turned back toward Robert, whose eyes were roaming over my body with unnerving desire.
“I was instructed to give you this.” He pulled out a card with a single rose attached to the paper.
“You know you’re declaring war, and this is one you will lose.” I grabbed the card and held the rose in my other hand.
“This is God-mandated, my dear. Ridding the world of demon spawn. You should not exist.” He grinned like he was above me and spit on the ground between us.
“You kill me, and I won’t release the antidote for the hallucinogen. There’s a widespread panic down there. Once I make it into the crowd, I will set them free of their fear. The damage is already done.” He started walking toward the door that led to the stairs down to the ground level.
“I will get you. Maybe not today, but one day,” I vowed, and he bowed his head and slipped behind the door.
My fingers fumbled with the card and saw chicken scratch handwriting inside.
One single Rose and a cut to set her free, an angel is born, and the sheep will follow thee.
One beast to rescue where death stands still, and finish what has been given to me as God’s will.
I examined the rose and dropped it to the ground in a frenzy.
Changing into a hawk again, I flew down to Asher, switching to my human form after I landed. He pulled me into an embrace as I told him to have everyone meet me at headquarters before transforming again and flying off to get into gear and prepare for a fight.
They want a war. I’ll bring them a war.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Echo
“Rose is missing.” Phillip was pacing when I stepped into the training room where everyone was gearing up.
“They’ve got her at my old house. She’s going to be cut up to be set free.” I walked over to the wall of weapons and grabbed a few knives to stash next to my gun.
“What do you mean set free?” Draco was in my space, and he was beyond furious. Someone had his woman, and I knew he would do anything to get her back.
“God-mandated. It’s a type of serial killer that feels compelled to kill because he believes he’s following God’s orders. That’s what Robert Burke said, and it was right in front of my face this whole time. Nathan Bellmont is my serial killer, and he believes that God is telling him to bleed out the gifted people, to set their souls free. Slits on the forehead for demons, and cuts between the shoulder blades for angels. And he believes Rose is an angel that needs to be free.”
It was all making sense to me now. Robert and Nathan were together in this, I was convinced. I just wish I had the last puzzle piece of his story. Why him? Both men wanted people like us gone from existence.
“So, what’s the plan?” Lilith asked while zipping up her tight jacket, then began lacing up knee-high, badass boots.
“I go get her, and you all keep Seahill from destroying itself. You faced your fears with the drug, and I need you to do it again. Trust that I will protect Rose and get her back safe. I am the dream catcher of this world, and I’ll be damned if evil will take anyone else away from me.” I was focused and angry. They would not get away with this.
I could tell they did not want to do as I asked. They all wanted to rush in with me to save Rose, but the world needed something different.
“Be the heroes you are supposed to be, and keep the world from succumbing to the shadows. I will get her back. Trust me to be the hero you saw me to be,” I begged them, and I saw their acceptance, one by one.
Phillip and Draco were the last to give me a nod saying they understood, even though it was against every fiber in their being to not help me. But the best they could do for Rose right now is give her a city to come back to.
Asher spun me around and gave me no choice but to look into those brown eyes.
“I’m coming with you,” he said, and I shook my head.
“You need to help them. Save my city, Asher.”
He knew how much this city meant to me. It was my home and held everyone I cared about. People were rioting in the streets. People with gifts were lashing out because of fear, and people were reacting because of fear.
“You better come back to me,” he growled, and I knew he would stay despite everything roaring in him to protect his mate.
“The spirit of all the animals on planet earth are with me; I will not fail.” I pulled him down with a tug on his shirt and kissed him.
There were no goodbyes, because I would see them again.
We all believed in the good of mankind, even if it meant protecting them from de
stroying themselves.
My car waited for me like a badass steed, ready to race to my old home and save the day.
I didn’t know if the house would just contain Nathan, or if Robert was with him, too. But I was prepared for anything.
Punching the pedal to the metal, my car sped off toward the highway, away from my beloved city.
People were fighting and looting as I passed by some shops. Fear was taking over, and I prayed there was still enough time for the Hero Society to fix it. I didn’t know how, but I had faith that they could.
The drive felt like it lasted days instead of the forty-five minutes it took. The reservation was quiet, since it was around 1:30 in the morning. But the lights were on at my house as I parked beside a white Lexus, the car I’d parked next to when Nathan had tapped on my window that day.
Seeing the house did little to calm the restlessness inside me. But I put aside my emotions and walked up the porch and opened the door.
The room smelled like fresh lavender, and there was music drifting from the dining room area, along with the scent of food.
I drew my gun, ready to shoot first and ask questions later, when I came to the dining room table that was occupied by four people.
Rose, who had dried tearstains on her cheeks but was holding her head high. She only faulted in her confident appearance when she saw me walk into the light of the room.
“Ms. Cross. You are just in time. Have a seat.” Nathan gestured to the only open seat, at the head of the table.
Nathan and Rose were on the left side, and Robert and Sarah Burke on the other.
Robert looked cocky as he took my gun from my hands, and Sarah looked submissive as she stared at the nicest place settings my parents had.
“Let her go.” I would tell them only one time and that was it.
Both men shook their heads as if I’d told them a funny joke.
Nathan’s fingers rolled over a syringe that was filled with what I could only assume was ketamine. Rose’s eyes looked down at it and back up to me. She was scared; I could see that.
“Her powers are useless right now,” he stated bluntly.
“She would have been able to escape with ease were that not the case. Just a few drops of the tranquilizer drug we use at the hospital was enough to calm her powers but keep her coherent. Couldn’t have our angel flying away without being set free first.” Nathan smiled at Rose in that same creepy way he did at me.
“Why the bloodletting? Why angels and demons?” If we were going to pretend to be civil, then I could get some of my questions answered.
Robert looked at me and answered for the doctor.
“There are angels and demons in all of us. Those of you with your powers are closer to the heavenly plane than we are. You can be set free to fight in the war of heaven and hell that’s been going on for eons. Your powers were given to you from either the Devil or God. We are simply doing what he cannot.”
These two men were certifiably crazy.
“Looks like you need to check into the psych ward together,” I told them with a curl to my lip.
Nathan grimaced and then sipped on his glass of wine that they had apparently brought. My parents weren’t drinkers. He set the glass down and looked me straight in the eye. I swear I saw a man in turmoil in those depths, before he spoke.
“Let me tell you a story, Echo.”
And then the doctor told me his story.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Asher
The last thing I heard, Phillip was talking with the mayor of Seahill, who had publicly spoken to the citizens of the city and any guests who were here for the New Year’s party. Everyone had been urged to go home, and most listened. The chief of police was working with Charles, organizing his forces to sweep through the city with hoses and tear gas to stop the violence that was spreading.
Leon had been roaming the streets, moving the cars that had been abandoned or damaged in the middle of the road to the side, so they wouldn’t obstruct the roads.
Mina and AJ were the eyes of the city, letting everyone know through the communicators where they should go.
Lilith had found the worst of the rioters and was subduing them, with her number one rule being not killing them, just knocking them out or being sneaky and zip-tying their hands until they stopped freaking out. Draco was helping people who needed it get to the hospital, which was filling by the minute with the injured. Dorian had his hands full but was handling the madness flawlessly.
I was currently sitting on the roof of Griffin Enterprises, freezing my ass off and preparing for the peace inducement spell.
It was difficult to do, and truly I should have more energy wielders with me to make it work, but I was as strong as five of my coven, so I was giving it a shot anyway.
After the Salem witch trials, my people found a way to bring calmness into people’s lives. It wouldn’t last long, just a day or two. But it was enough for people to have time to think things through without the emotions of fear, anger, and sadness driving them.
I hoped it was enough to give us a chance at saving the city.
My moon crystals hadn’t seen the light of a moon in months, and I felt bad, knowing I should have taken better care of my magic supplies just in case I needed them. But the moon was full tonight, so it should charge them up with energy in no time.
I looked over my spray paint drawing of the pentagram on the roof, to make sure everything was touching: earth, fire, water, spirit, and air.
“Let’s get some magic on.” I lifted my hands and the candles at each point lit. It took some extra energy of mine to keep them lit up here in the blasphemous cold and wind. The higher up I was, the worse it got.
I sat in the middle of the star, my hands touching the two small mounds of dirt from the forest of Salem itself, and began the chant.
“I call upon earth, grounder of the body.
“I call upon fire, spirit of the soul.
“I call upon air, the lightness of our hearts.
“I call upon water, the life inside our blood.
“I call upon spirit, which binds us to our brothers and our sisters of this world.
“The balance of five is key, so mote it be.”
And repeated the last sentence over and over, feeling the flames of the white candles burn hotter and the wind that was blowing hard whip around my star in a circle.
Sweat beaded on my forehead, dripping onto the roof beneath me. I ground my teeth as I felt my power, combined with the elements, spread out like a fog over the island of Seahill, settling into the air to reach everyone in the vicinity.
I felt every inhale of my power as it spread in the lungs of mankind.
My chest started to ache, and my head began to throb. This spell was taking a lot more out of me than I thought it would. Guess that’s why it called for more wielders.
Once the spell was running through everyone’s veins, it was complete.
My body fell back to the concrete as soon as it finished. I was spent and might have to call Leon to carry me to my apartment, but I’d bought the city another twenty-four to forty-eight hours of peace. After that, we’d have to come up with another plan.
“Good job, magic boy. Everyone is leaving the streets and going back to their casa.” Mina’s voice floated through the communicator they’d given me tonight before we split off. I’d set it by my wallet and keys outside the star, since everything inside had to be one hundred percent natural.
“I vote for a name change. Like wizard or something cool,” I groaned, my energy depleted.
“And send Leon to come get me when he’s done. I don’t think I can walk,” I said, hoping she heard me. I was man enough to admit when I needed help, and I think Draco carrying me would put us in too weird of a territory. Leon was strong and fast, so I preferred him.
I lay there, staring up at the stars, thinking about Echo. Did she save Rose yet? What would she do with Nathan once she finally had him in her grasp?
S
he was a woman who believed in the law. Would she take the law into her own hands, or would she bring him in for charges like she was supposed to? I wouldn’t judge her, either way. In nature it was normal for animals to kill another who posed a threat to their family. She took it upon herself to protect Seahill, with her life if needed.
The answers to my questions would come soon enough. She’d be back with Rose, and I’d be there to comfort her, no matter what.
I heard the door to the roof open, and I knew Mina had heard me.
“You know she’s probably going to mess with you about this, right?” Leon went about putting my supplies and personal items into the bag I’d carried them up in, then reached down and picked me up like I was nothing.
“Better this than become an ice sculpture on top of Phillip’s building. Albeit it would be the nicest work of art on this building,” I joked and felt my body almost dangle, having no strength left to even hold on to him right now.
“You gonna be okay?” he asked, with concern etched on his face.
“Yep. Some sleep, and sunshine in the morning, and I’ll be back to bartending by night.”
He laughed, and I smiled as he carried me down to my car and drove me to headquarters to wait for Echo and Rose to come home.
Chapter Forty
Echo
Three words.
What. The. Fuck.
They’d made chicken and rice for everyone that unsurprisingly still sat on my and Rose’s plate, completely untouched. A weird, super late-night dinner had happened, and that wasn’t even the strangest part.
Robert had been a patient of Nathan’s before he met Sarah and became pastor of the church, having been inspired by Nathan’s past and how he overcame his shadows.
And when I say shadows, I meant a black abyss that consumed every ounce of his sanity.
Nathan was raised in a heavily religious home. His mother used to blood-let him every night to free him from sin. Then to make matters worse, when he turned sixteen, his powers came into fruition. Yeah. Nathan was a freak like the ones he despised so much. But he didn’t embrace it, and in return, it turned on him, the powers of divination so intense they bordered on madness. His mother ended up dying, and I knew deep down she was the reason he stuck to killing women. The men just happened to be there when he went after their wives. He believed the voices in his head were whispers from God, telling him to do his bidding and set the gifted free. He worked with what he knew, the bloodletting.
Dusk (Hero Society Book 3) Page 14
