by M. R. Polish
I gripped Ian’s hand tighter. It’s just a dream, I chanted to myself.
She walked closer until she stood about five feet away, her long trench-like coat leaving a trail of dust behind her. “Awww, sweetheart, when are you gonna learn that this is more than a dream, that it’s real.”
“She’s just taunting you, Es. Don’t let her get to you.”
Meadow licked her lips annoyingly and shifted her weight. “Listen up, I have a message, and since your pretty little girlfriend has been refusing to sleep and tell me her exact location, I need to relay it before Nicholas finds another way to find her. Not that I care, but you might. I hear daydreams can be just as frightful and…” she paused and tapped her finger to her lips, “painful as nightmares.”
I tensed. Ian pushed me back and stepped forward. “You leave her alone, you understand me?”
“I’m not afraid of some dog and his shadow.” Meadow glared at us. The black veins in her face became visible under her ashen skin. We were pushing her limits.
“What is your message?” I asked with a shaky breath.
“Nicholas has someone very dear to both of you. If you want to help him, you’ll do as he says.”
My heart raced faster. There was only one person who meant something to both of us. Jarak. “Where is he? Is he safe?”
“I can’t tell you where he is, that would ruin the whole thing. As for safe, well, he’s alive. For now.”
Ian dashed toward her, tackling her to the forest floor. “Where is my brother, you witch!”
A wolf howled in the distance, and I wished that Luna or Dregan could be here with us. How is it that they couldn’t enter my dream but everyone else seemed to have access?
I touched Ian’s shoulder as I bent down with him. “You said he’s alive. What about Maztic?”
Meadow sneered. “We haven’t seen his mutt yet, but when I do, you can bet that I won’t hesitate to kill him.”
My gut rolled with her words. I pulled my arm back and drove my hand into her face. I heard a crack from her nose, but didn’t sit around for more. Not that I needed to, Ian was ready with a stake in his hand.
Meadow let out an eerie cackle. “You can’t kill me, not here.” As soon as she was done talking, her body dissolved into the air.
Ian stood up and I ran into his arms. “What are we gonna do?”
I could feel his body shake from anger. “First, we need to wake up. Then, I’m going to find Nicholas and kill him.”
It was harder waking up than I thought it would be. I blinked several times before I realized I was in the hotel room back in Spain. That dream felt so real. Reality hit me and I sat up quickly. I looked down at Ian, who was stirring from sleep. Swallowing hard, I retraced whatever memory I had from the dream.
I couldn’t help but smile as I recalled Ian showing up. What we shared was nothing short of magical. Not many—if any—girls could say that their first time was in a dream. I mean, a real dream. Just like Meadow said, it was real. I gasped at the thought of Meadow. How could I have spaced the fact that she showed up? Her news reeled in my head all over again.
Jarak. We needed to find him, save him. Ian sat up and stretched. “Ian, it was real, right? You were there?”
He gave me a soft smile. “Yeah, it was real.” He grabbed my hands. “Nothing or no one can take that away from us.” He looked around and frowned as if the rest of the dream just registered with him. “Damn, they have Jarak.”
My eyes teared up. “Yeah, they do.”
He pulled me to him tightly. His voice cracked as he spoke, “I shouldn’t have left him on that plane.”
“We’ll see him again. I promise,” I whispered into his hair. I just hoped that was a promise I could keep.
He sat up straight and sucked in a deep breath. “If Nicholas doesn’t kill him, I will. What the heck was he thinking by running from us?”
“I don’t know.” I glanced at the window. The drapes were still drawn, but a crack of morning light broke through, leaking out to the floor. “Hey, Ian, where is everyone?”
He tensed back up. “I don’t know. The last I saw Adonia, she was beside the bed waiting for Torres to get back with Ailaina.”
We both jumped up from the bed. There was no note or sign of them leaving. “Maybe they just took a walk?” I wanted to convince myself they were fine, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up. “I knew I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”
“Hey, we don’t know where they’re at. You can’t blame yourself.”
I nodded and followed him to the door, grabbing the tail of his shirt as he opened it slowly and looked out in the hall.
“Come on,” he said.
He didn’t have to tell me twice. We didn’t get far before Luna and Dregan appeared. Luna had blood around her face. “Oh my gosh, Luna, what happened?”
She limped over to me. “Crossbreeds. We tried to help. I even tried to wake you from your sleep.”
I remembered the howl in the distance when Meadow was with us. It was a trap. She distracted us so we couldn’t help. “Where is everyone?”
“Down here, hurry. I think Torres is hurt and Adonia too.”
We ran, following our wolves outside to the back of the hotel where a part of the woods started. “This way,” Luna called out to me.
I spotted them first and ran faster. Hela was hunched over my dad, blood covering them both. Ian ran to my mom, who was motionless on the forest floor. He checked her pulse and nodded. Relief that she wasn’t dead flooded me.
“Hela, we’re here.” I reached out for my dad, but Hela growled. “I need to help him, please,” I pleaded with him.
Dregan came up and nudged me with his muzzle. “He’s disorientated. Whatever is flowing through Torres’ veins is flowing through him, making him sick. I think it’s poison. He doesn’t know it’s you, he just knows someone is trying to touch his guardian.”
Well, that made sense, but it didn’t help any. “Can you talk to him?”
Dregan lowered his head. “Both Luna and myself have tried. He’s not understanding us.”
I looked at Ian, who seemed deep in thought. “What can we do?”
“Jarak told me once that you possess a wolfing power. Can you use it to put Hela to sleep?”
“A wolfing power? I don’t even know what that is!”
“He said Adonia, Victor, and you have it. You can use magic against guardians.”
I rolled my eyes upward. “Ugh, why am I always the last to find out what I have?”
“I think that’s a little irrelevant right now.”
He was right. I’d have plenty of time to vent later. I held my hand out and let magic flow from me to Hela, channeling the same energy I used when I learned how to connect myself with those around me and let my magic flow to where I felt Hela’s core spirit. I felt him resist me but I persisted, not willing to give up. His eyes looked heavy and he toppled over. “Good, now that we know that works, help me with my dad.”
“Now that you know about that, remind me not to piss you off.”
I would’ve laughed if I hadn’t seen my dad’s wound. A deep laceration on his shoulder made me cringe. He was lucky his arm was still attached. The only reason I thought he was still alive was because whatever did this to him was also hot—hot enough to singe the skin and stop the bleeding—well, that and the fact that my mom was still alive so they were immortal. As long as she lived he would retain his immortality. Unless the crossbreed who did this used Belladonna.
I glanced at Ian. “I don’t know what to do. We need to wake my mom.”
We both darted to her side. I felt out with my energy and focused on hers. A sleep spell. I could fix that. I waved my hand over her face and her eyes began to flicker.
She sat up and looked around to grasp her bearings. Without saying anything she half ran, half crawled to my dad. “Torres, please be okay.”
I bent down beside her. “Mom, I’m here, I can help. Just tell me what to do.”
&
nbsp; She sniffed back her tears and nodded. “We need to work together with his spirit to heal him.”
After what felt like hours of pulling his spirit to the surface and holding it there, my mom was able to use her powers to seal his wounds shut so he could start to heal.
“Will he be okay?” I asked. I needed to know the truth. I needed to be prepared. I already lost one dad and couldn’t lose another this soon.
She nodded, but I could feel her uncertainty. “He will be just fine.”
Ian helped me stand and held me a little longer than normal. My mom stood up and touched my arm. “Es, they took Ailaina. I’m so sorry.”
It felt as if my soul hit the ground. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” Flashbacks of the underground dark cell filled my vision. The black demon shadows that tortured me still scared me and I could still feel the horrible pain they inflicted. Was Ailaina there? Was she alone or with Jarak?
Ian rubbed my back. “Shhh. It’ll be okay.”
“No, Ian, they have Jarak and Ailaina. Nothing is okay.” I was breaking down; I could feel it all the way in my fingertips.
“Jarak?” My mom spun around to face us. “What do you mean they have Jarak? I thought you said that the B.O.M.B. took him?”
Ian clenched his jaw. “That’s what we thought.”
She swallowed deeply. “I need to get some help. If Julie has crossed sides we could be in real trouble.”
“Who can help us?” I was seriously beginning to doubt anyone’s loyalty.
“Moriah, possibly Gabriella. I’m not sure where Valis and Tamlynn are, but they might be able to help too. They are looking for anything that will help us with the Reaping Spell. I know of a couple other witches that aren’t afraid to go against Nicholas, too.”
“Well, then, what are you waiting for? You should get a hold of Moriah.”
Eleven
Jarak
I t took me a minute to realize I wasn’t in the interrogation room at the B.O.M.B anymore. Everywhere I looked was pitch black. I couldn’t see anything, not even my hands in front of my face. That’s when I noticed my hands were no longer tied either. What happened? What was in that shot MaryAnn gave me? Ugh, my head still pounded fiercely, even with my eyes closed.
Being in the dark wasn’t that bad, but not knowing what was around me didn’t settle too well. I felt out for Maztic and nearly choked when I couldn’t feel him. Inside, I felt empty. I called out to him again, but nothing came back to me. “Maztic?” My breathing picked up and I stood up with my arms out trying to feel around. “Where are you?” Nothing was as bad as not knowing where he was and why I couldn’t feel or hear him.
The light nearly blinded me when someone opened the trap door. I looked around as I blinked rapidly. The high walls were made of dirt as well as the ground. My stomach flipped as I realized I was underground. I wasn’t in the same hole that Es was in before, but it was the same concept. There was no way Nicholas would be stupid enough to stay in the same house. He’d be a sitting duck. Different house, different hole, but the same jerk who used them. I wasn’t sure what was going on, or how deep the betrayal went inside the B.O.M.B., but right now I wouldn’t trust anyone from the agency. It was definitely corrupted.
“I brought you some company,” a voice called down to me, followed by a thump and a small whimper.
The door shut, leaving us in total darkness. I crawled on my hands and knees, feeling the earth for whoever was thrown down with me. Finally, my fingers met with warm skin. My throat constricted. Please don’t let it be Es. “I can’t see you, but I won’t hurt you.”
“Jarak?” a small hoarse whisper asked. I knew that voice.
“Yes. Ailaina? Is that you?”
“Yeah.” Her voice was all but gone. It worried me even more that she was here. “How did they get you? Where is Es? Is she okay?” Ailaina moaned as she tried to sit up. Whatever they did to her was bad. She was in too much pain for just being thrown down in the pit. “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” she said. “I just hurt everywhere. We tried to fight them off. Ian and Es were sleeping. Adonia placed them under a spell. One minute we were talking outside to let them sleep, and the next we were surrounded. We were so outnumbered that not even with Hela, Dregan, and Luna could we win.”
I could hear the tears in her voice. I could only imagine what happened. I should’ve been there to help, but Julie tricked everyone, including me, and I was betrayed and stuck in this damn hole. “It’s okay, I’m gonna get us out of here.”
“How?” her voice squeaked.
I wasn’t sure how, but I knew I wouldn’t quit until I died trying.
Esmerelda
I slipped on my boots and zipped up my hoodie. I didn’t know where Nicholas was hiding, but I was going to find him. No more playing around. No more dreams. I wanted my friends back. I needed my life back.
Ian slammed the door shut as I opened it. Crud. I thought he was sleeping. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I hesitated and glanced away, unable to look into his eyes.
“Princess, you think after what we’ve shared you can just leave me behind?”
“That's why I am leaving. I can’t lose anyone else. Especially not you.”
He put his fingers under my chin and moved my head so I had to look at him. “And you think I could stand to lose you?”
“I, uh, I need to do this. It’s my destiny, not yours.”
“My destiny is the same as yours. I can’t lose you, Es. I love you.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying. “I love you, too.”
“If you think you need to go, then fine, we’ll leave right now, just the two of us, but you can’t get rid of me. I gave my heart to you and a guardian can only give it to one person, one time.”
“I know, and you have mine.”
He pulled me in and kissed me deeply. It ended all too soon with a clearing of the throat. Ugh, so not what I wanted. I didn’t want to say goodbye to anyone.
My mom stood with her arms folded by the hotel bed that my dad and Hela slept on. “You would leave without saying goodbye?”
“Mom, I just wanted to…” How was I supposed to tell her I wanted to leave?
“I know, but a goodbye would be nice. You’re an adult now. I can’t stop you, though I want to. Just know that within three days, Moriah will be here, along with Gabriella. She’s getting in touch with Valis and Tamlynn. They found something on the Reaping Spell and want to fill us in anyway. We will find you as soon as your dad is ready to move.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
She raised her brow. “Ian, take care of her. Don’t leave her.”
“Never,” was his reply.
I threw the map down. “This is worthless. Seriously a waste of time. I’m never gonna find him on a flippin map.” To say I was angry was an understatement.
“Use your power, Es. You can use the map with your energy to locate him. I’ve seen it done before.”
“Who in the bloody hell showed you that?”
Ian cleared his throat. “Lauren,” he said in a quiet whisper.
Well, that explained that. I wanted to be upset that he had a fling with her once, but since she was dead and he told me he loved me, I couldn’t find a reason to be mad about it. “Well, how did she show you?”
“Once upon a time, before she ever met me, she was in love with a warlock, the one she was assigned to protect, and he gave her a gift.”
“I see. So what happened to this warlock?”
“He died saving her from Nicholas when he was starting to build his army of breeds.”
The reality of what could happen with me or Ian weighed heavily on my shoulders and I couldn’t help the shiver that coursed down my spine. Immortality was not a promised forever. “I guess I need to keep practicing then.”
I sat back in the passenger seat of the car and lifted the map up to study it some more. Okay, it couldn’t be all that hard. Could it? Every time I felt
out for Nicholas, my head played tricks on me and I saw memories of Ailaina or Jarak. I couldn’t concentrate long enough to find anything on the map. All I could think about was what kind of gift I should give to Ian. I knew I could only give one, so it had to be perfect.
The sun shone down on me making me squint. I snapped my fingers and my sunglasses dropped onto my palm. Ian chuckled. “I still think that is the coolest trick you do.”
“It would be cooler if I could snap my fingers and make the spot on the map magically appear.” I snapped my fingers for effect.
“Yeah, that too.”
I slid on my shades and blinked to make sure I was seeing the map correctly. With my sunglasses on, I could see a shimmering spot hovering over a certain area on the map. Oh my gosh, I never would’ve guessed that a pair of generic sunglasses would be able to help me on this journey. “Ian, look, I think I figured it out.”
He leaned over to look. “I don’t see anything.”
“I didn’t either until I put on my glasses. Put yours on and look.”
He slid his on and leaned back over. “Ho-ly. Is that where Nicholas is hiding?”
I gave him a big smile. “I think so. I think we found him.”
“That’s great, but that’s a big area to cover looking for him. At least it’s narrowed down though. You need to call your mom and let her know. We can head out that way and meet them there.” He started the engine and took off down the highway.
I glanced back down at the mysterious shimmer and felt excited about it. Maybe, just maybe, this nightmare was almost over. With any luck, I would make it before something horrible happened to Jarak or Ailaina too.
Jarak
I lifted Ailaina up on my shoulders, but even together we weren’t quite tall enough, or strong enough, to reach the trap door. Even my usual strength was fading fast, but without Maztic’s added power I was weak. We both slumped to the dirt floor. “It’s no use, we can’t reach it that way.”
