Five: Out of the Dark

by Anderson, Holli

  I was ready. I severed the tentacle with a flick of my wrist and a word. Magic was a lot stronger when you used the right words, we’d all discovered that since our real training had begun. I felt strong, ready to end Johnathan’s torment. I raised my arms to invoke the spell I was sure would end it … and something slithered across my line of vision. It looked like smoke, only more solid. It was something different than the darkness I was fighting. A new enemy had entered the fray.

  The smoky image hovered above my head. My hands dropped. What on earth am I thinking? I can’t do this. I’m not strong enough—I’m nothing but a weakling. I’m going to die and so is Johnathan.

  Paige! Johnathan yelled in my mind. What’s wrong? Don’t give up! Kill it!

  A thought slowly floated into my head—something the Demon had said. What was it? A shadow? Yes, a shadow! The Shadow of Doubt! The Demon had warned me about this. All I had to do to defeat it was banish the doubts. That’s all, just banish the doubts … .

  The shadow loomed as thoughts of inadequacy overwhelmed me. I could see the other tentacles of Johnathan’s demon pulling free from their positions and banding together to come after me. I can’t do this.

  Paige, I love you, and I trust you, came the soothing thoughts from Johnathan.

  The shadow above me was sucked away into the void as I let out a mental battle cry and raised my hands once again; the enormous single cord of blackness that now connected to the wolf’s head reached me just as I brought my hands down with a powerful thrust of will and a word of magic that I didn’t know I even knew.

  “Contorqueo-tortum!”

  The tentacle twisted violently, then exploded into a million tiny pieces that withered and crumbled to ash as they fell. The wolf’s head snarled furiously and came at me with the tremendous speed of a sheet on the winds of a hurricane; its features a blur as it hurtled toward my face. I held up the shield bracelet Seth had made for me and invoked the magic it contained. The shadowy Demon slammed into the shield with such force that my teeth rattled. I wasted no time as the Darkness regrouped; I dropped the shield and blasted the lycan with a strength made up of my love for Johnathan and the outrage I felt at what it had done to him.

  The evil that had held Johnathan hostage for months now started swirling like water down a flushed toilet. I opened a portal to the Netherworld, and there was Shalbriri waiting, as we’d agreed. The Demon reached through the portal and snagged the swirling remains of the lycanthrope curse and dragged it down—hissing and snarling—to the Netherworld from where it had come. The portal closed.

  All was silent.

  I broke the gaze just as the first rays of sun peaked in the east. We’d been standing in each other’s arms, locked in the gaze the entire night. I smiled at Johnathan, and then slumped in his arms, exhausted beyond compare. He lowered me gently to the ground, tears streaming down his face. He sat beside me, and pulled me into his lap.

  “You did it,” he said in a hoarse, unbelieving whisper.

  “I told you to trust m—”

  Before I could utter another sound, his lips were on mine, gentle and warm, searching. My breath caught in my throat as his lips pressed down harder, with more intensity. He crushed my body close to his in his strong arms. I wound my arms around his neck and kissed him back with a ferocity I didn’t know I possessed. My heart pounded against the tight muscles of his chest. Stars exploded behind my closed eyes as I forgot to breathe. The kiss became softer again as his tongue gently explored and tickled my lips.

  Exhaustion was forgotten in the miracle that was our first kiss.

  After I reluctantly stopped the kiss, we stayed in the circle: me in Johnathan’s lap, my head on his shoulder, nose pressed into the groove where his neck met his collarbone, breathing in his perfect scent. I marveled at the touch of his skin on mine. It’d been a long time since his skin was a normal temperature and it felt so good to be able to be near him. The scorching heat of the curse was now lifted; the tortuous fire within him was now healed. But—as with all good things and wonderful feelings, it had to end.

  “Paige,” he whispered, his mouth grazing the hair above my ear. “Our friends are waiting for us to break the circle. We should let them share in our celebration.”

  I sighed and pulled away from him enough to look up into his amazing eyes—now pure dark chocolate again, with no flecks of gold. Gazing into his eyes seemed like a luxury I wanted to indulge in for the rest of my life. That thought led to another that made me shrink in fear. Johnathan saw it on my face, felt the sudden tension in my muscles. I felt like throwing up.

  “What’s wrong?” His eyes searched my face.

  I owed him an explanation for what was about to happen. I just didn’t know how to tell him. The bargain I’d made with Shalbriri was to be paid at the time the circle was broken.

  “John … I … I had to make a deal … a bargain … with someone. To find out what to do … how to help you.”

  His face fell, flooded with concern. “What have you done?”

  I shrugged. “What I had to do.”

  Not wanting to explain any further, not wanting Johnathan to look at me like the immoral Demon-summoner I was—I caught Halli’s eyes outside the circle and gave a small nod. I took one last look at the gorgeous eyes of the boy I loved so much, reached over from where I sat in his lap, and Halli and I broke the circle.

  The pain struck instantly and with the intensity of a rocket. My eyes were being pulled from my head by burrowing spiders with lava for venom and cactus-covered drill bits for fangs. The pressure was so intense I was sure the whole top of my head would implode and I would die by choking on my own brains being squeezed down into my throat. Those are the images that formed in my head during the intense sixty seconds of unimaginable pain.

  I screamed, loud, long and piercing—the pain was too horrible to do anything else. Johnathan held me, bewildered, as I writhed in agony and tore at my eyes with the temporary insanity caused by the pain. Outwardly, the only signs anything was happening to my eyes were the tears flowing from them and the damage done by my own hands as my fingernails grated the surrounding skin. When Johnathan saw that I was drawing blood with the frantic tearing, he grabbed my hands and held them in one of his, his other arm wrapped like steel around my body.

  The pain stopped as abruptly as it started.

  I slowly, and with great reluctance, raised my eyelids and saw … darkness, nothingness. This was by far the most terrifying thing I’d ever experienced. The screams that had just ended were replaced with terrified sobs. Deprived of sight, the depression of darkness encompassed me.

  Even still, as I felt Johnathan’s arms holding me against his chest, rocking back and forth—as I felt his warm tears falling on my head then my face when I tipped it up toward his—I knew I would choose to do it again if I had to. The price was steep, but the stakes were too high not to pay it. I knew I would give anything to save him.

  “Paige.” One hand touched my face, tipped my chin upwards. Then both hands—I immediately missed the warmth of his arms around me and I clutched at his shirt, scared—his hands cupped my face. I could feel him staring into it—into my empty, dead eyes. “What did you do? Oh, Paige, what did you do?”

  Another sob escaped my throat at the anguish in his voice and I could only shake my head. His lips pressed into the skin of my forehead, then onto my closed eyelids. His kisses traveled down my face—first one cheek, then the other, to each corner of my mouth, to my chin. All the while he muttered, “I’m so sorry. Oh, Paige, I’m so sorry,” then, “I love you,” as his lips found mine.

  The kiss was gentle, sorrowful. Our tears combined—the saltiness intermingled with the sweet taste of his lips. My blindness and the ordeal of the long night were forgotten for one precious moment as his kiss melted the icy fear in my heart. The terror I felt was slowly replaced with the sure knowledge that this was where I belonged; in his arms, his lips pressed to mine. Finally. The kiss lingered, soft and gentle, never
increasing in intensity as the first kiss had. It was magical, without any magic. His lips drew out the poison that was terror and uncertainty and filled the empty void with light.

  Still, he continued to kiss me, until my grip on his shirt relaxed and my arms snaked around his neck; until his hands grew tired from holding my head and his arms circled around my back. Still, we kissed, until our tears were dried and my shaking ceased; until the warmth of his love enveloped me fully in a cocoon of security.

  Still, we kissed, until …

  “Geez, you guys, get a room or better yet, quit macking on each other and tell us what the heck is goin’ on.” Leave it to Alec to interrupt my paradise.

  I heard a smack and Alec’s “Ow!” I assumed it’d been Halli that slapped him.

  “Take your time, Paige. When you’re ready, we have a warm fire going and some breakfast ready for you. Then you can tell us what’s going on.”

  Joe’s voice was touched with concern, but, behind that, I heard contained anger. I was sure he’d guessed at least part of what I’d done—who else besides a malevolent creature would take my sight in a bargain. Joe had been around a long time; he’d lived through more battles with creatures of all kinds than I could even imagine. He knew, or at least had an idea, what I’d done. And he wasn’t happy about it.

  I shivered, just then realizing how cold the morning air was.

  “Come on, Paige. Let’s go get some of the heat from that fire,” Johnathan said quietly.

  We stood, his right arm wrapped tightly around my waist so our sides melded against one another. He also gripped my left arm in his left hand and guided me toward the fire where the others were. It was a very strange feeling, not being able to see, not knowing where to step. The slight dips in the ground that were easy to navigate when you could see them, caused my steps to jolt and falter. I clung to Johnathan the short distance from the circle to the fire. As he helped me sit, it hit me like a slap in the face that this was real—I wasn’t just closing my eyes to wait for a surprise or wearing a blindfold for a child’s game. The darkness was the same with my eyes open or closed, there was no blind-fold I could rip off at the end of the game. Total blackness. No shapes, no shadows, no light.

  The Demon had taken it all.

  Johnathan and I sat inside a small booth of a restaurant, in a small town somewhere between Seattle and Utah. He sat next to me instead of across the table like most couples sat. When we’d reached this town, Joe gave us some money and told us to do something normal.

  The smells wafting around me literally made my mouth water. The sounds of utensils clinking, ice hitting the sides of glasses, and people chatting was intensified as my remaining four senses tried to make up for the loss of my vision.

  Our meals came. Rib-eye steak, crab legs, and garlic mashed potatoes for me; steak, fried shrimp, and a baked potato for him. He cut my steak and placed the fork in my hand. I was still learning how to get food from the plate to my mouth without making a huge mess. It was very brave of Johnathan to take me to a public place for our first real date. He had infinite patience with me and I felt his love in every soft touch and every spoken word. He’d rarely left my side since my sight was taken … or given away a few weeks ago.

  “I love you,” he said. He’d said it often since that time in the circle. And I knew he meant it.

  “I love you, too, John.” And he knew I meant it.

  “I will find a way to fix this, Paige. I promise, you will see again. No matter what, I’ll fix this.”

  I dropped my fork as the familiarity of those words hit me. And I was scared.

  Because I knew he meant it.

  I seriously considered forgoing the acknowledgements for this book. So many people have helped me make this dream a reality and I’m really afraid I’ll leave someone out—so please forgive me if I do, and know that I appreciate everything that has been done for me.

  First and foremost I want to thank my husband, Steve, for his support and understanding when I disappear upstairs for hours or days to write while he takes care of everything else. Without him our house would be falling down around us.

  I am so thankful to my Alpha readers for their insight and encouragement: Laura Bastian, who made my manuscript bleed, but who’s critiques are spot on; Heather Lyman, my friend and fellow book lover; Shay Lloyd, my beautiful niece; Re’Nae Metz, the greatest sister-in-law in the world; Cheri Jacobson, a life-long friend, my biggest cheerleader, and a true inspiration to me; Stacey Atherley, my daughter-in-law—your enthusiasm for reading is contagious; and last but certainly not least, Emeri Hansen, my young adult alpha reader who’s love for my book makes me happy beyond description.

  I must acknowledge Dr. Russell Bradley who’s donation of my first laptop helped get me started down this road to authorship.

  Todd Ellis, photographer extraordinaire, for taking such an amazing photograph for my cover. And, Alexandria Thompsen for the graphic arts magic that resulted in an amazing cover. And to the ‘models’: Lexi Paige Anderson, Halli Henwood, Alec Anderson, Seth Anderson, and Johnathan Morton—you guys rock!

  Thank you to my Editor, Jessa Russo for helping me make my book into something I truly love—you’ve been so awesome to work with ( I still think ‘sand puppy’ was a good reference).

  To my Project Manager, Jade Hart. You did a wonderful job of keeping us all on task. I especially want to thank you for answering my many questions and never acting exasperated while doing so.

  To everyone at Curiosity Quills Press for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime and being so wonderful to work with.

  And lastly, to my family. My sisters Brandi Anderson and Misti Sparks who are there whenever I need them. My brothers Troy Lloyd and Shawn Lloyd who love to tease but I know I can count on them for anything. My parents, Duane and Sandi Lloyd for their support and love. My boys Riley Atherley, Wayne Atherley, Alec Anderson, and Seth Anderson for giving me the inspiration to begin writing and not give up. And, my beautiful and amazing granddaughter, Harley Lynn Atherley for being the joy of my life.

  Now that you have completed this book, we hope you will leave a review so that other readers may benefit from your perspective. Authors like Holli Anderson live and die by your reviews, after all!

  Please visit http://curiosityquills.com/reader-survey/ to share your reading experience with the author of this book!

  Holli Anderson has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing—which has nothing to do with writing, except maybe by adding some pretty descriptive injury and vomit scenes to her books. She discovered her joy of writing during a very trying period in her life when escaping into make-believe saved her. She enjoys reading any book she gets her hands on, but has a particular love for anything fantasy.

  Along with her husband, Steve, and their four sons, she lives in Grantsville, Utah—the same small town in which she grew up.

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  ISBN: 978-1-62007-298-1 (ebook)

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