After Sundown: Illumination

by Eden Robins

  The idea struck Rebecca like a lightning bolt, and again shame filled her. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? She had been so caught up in what was going on with Xander that she’d forgotten about her own healing spells. As a witch she could help relieve some of the pain Jason’s mom was going through.

  Listening carefully to Shaina’s whispered words, Rebecca slowly and softly began repeating them in time with the gargoyle. Then she summoned her powers and joined them with Jason’s mother’s. The older woman realized it immediately. Her eyes opened and she turned to Rebecca with a weak smile. Lifting her arm, she held her hand out to Rebecca.

  Rebecca scooted closer and took it without hesitation, softly clasping Shaina’s hand as the healing process began. She whispered the spell and sent her healing power in wave after wave to the gargoyle. As the minutes passed she felt her power tingle down her arm to where they held hands and she knew, as Shaina sat up, that her spells were doing what they needed to. Jason’s mother was slowly healing.

  Neither of them saw it coming. Xander struck quietly, without warning, breaking them apart by his powers alone. Rebecca was thrown back, as was Shaina, until they weren’t close enough to touch. The connection between them was broken and the gargoyle’s healing incomplete.

  Xander strode toward them, fury blazing in his eyes, insanity burning even brighter. The first Rebecca knew she could deal with, the second she wasn’t so sure. In his state of mind, anything, absolutely anything could happen.

  He turned to her first and without preamble raised his hand to strike her.

  Why did he always resort to physical violence with her? Why didn’t he just use his powers like most witches did in battle? It was very strange.

  The questions played in her mind for only a second before she raised her hand and sent out an attack spell. This one went straight for the diaphragm, causing the receiver to lose his or her breath. She knew it hit him straight-on because he staggered back a few steps and bent forward, just as she felt the impact and temporarily lost the ability to breathe. The binding ceremony was doing its job. What Xander felt she felt and vice versa.

  Struggling against the pain and gasping to breathe, she jumped to her feet. When he attacked again, and he would, she would be in a less vulnerable position. She risked a quick glance at Shaina. The gargoyle was slowly getting to her feet. It was obvious that her injuries, although slightly improved, were in no way completely healed.

  Rebecca turned back to Xander in time to see him recover. Straightening, he raised his head and glared at her across the room. He smiled then. But it wasn’t pleasant. It reminded her of pure unadulterated evil. His lips stretched over his teeth but beyond that, there was absolutely nothing happy about the wizard right now.

  He was pissed off.

  And she was going to be the target of that anger. Bracing herself, she waited, hoping she could handle it.

  “Well, well, well, Becca. You have gotten stronger, haven’t you? It looks like my girl has grown up. Too bad you didn’t realize something about me.”

  “What’s that?” Rebecca asked, hoping their conversation would stall him for a moment while she figured out exactly how her plan was going to work out.

  Her hopes were dashed as soon as he spoke.

  “You didn’t realize exactly how much stronger I am then you. And you don’t understand how my power is fed and grows from your attacks.” Xander said, raising his hands without another word and throwing a spell right at her.

  Rebecca had just enough time to throw up a shield to deflect Xander’s spell. Despite the shield, she could feel his power almost push through. It was strong.

  He was strong.

  Fear lanced through her for a moment. What if she was wrong? What if she wasn’t strong enough? What if she couldn’t defeat him?

  She shoved the thoughts away immediately.

  She was strong enough. She had to be. There could be no other outcome. Xander had to be defeated.

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to quiet her mind. While maintaining a shield in case he struck again, Rebecca tried to curl into herself, to feel, really feel her power rush through her. She felt the wholeness and love and light grow inside her. And as she did she suddenly made a startling discovery.

  This battle between she and Xander wasn’t what she thought it was. It wasn’t about revenge, it wasn’t about hate or anger and it wasn’t about winning. As strange as it may seem, this struggle was about love and fear. Rebecca suddenly realized that the two could not coexist successfully on any plane. Not in the world, not between people and not within herself. Where there is love, fear cannot blossom and where there is fear, love cannot grow.

  Xander was fear.

  And she was love.

  Rebecca finally understood in that moment that Xander had always been about fear. His life, the choices he made and the person he chose to be. That was why his life was a half-life filled with darkness, fury and despair. Xander feared himself and the world. And he feared losing control of both. That fear transformed into the bitter resentment he now carried around with him and the punishment he exacted on others. That was why he used physical violence with her so often, instead of his powers. He not only wanted to be stronger then her, he also wanted her to fear him on a physical basis. Knowing she feared him in that way must have soothed the overwhelming fear inside him. And fed his power.

  Rebecca’s life, on the other hand, was now about love. It had once been based on fear. Until she had recovered from the amnesia, until she met Jason, she hadn’t realized all that she had been missing in her life. Because of the fear that controlled her. The fear of not being good enough, the fear that her parents never loved her because they considered her powers weak and the fear that she wasn’t totally in control of her powers. Now that she had learned to love, not only others and her life but also herself, she was stronger, more alive and full of the power that was so much a part of her heritage. Through love, not fear, she had finally come into her own.

  And she knew without a shred of doubt what that meant. She knew without reservation or hesitation the outcome of this battle between her and Xander. In love. It could end no other way.

  Love conquers all.

  She truly believed that. It wasn’t just a silly cliché to shrug off with a smirk. It was an absolute truth of life. If one trusted in love they could conquer anything. Just as she would now conquer Xander. The reason he hadn’t been strongly affected by her power was because she had been using her power out of fear, darkness and anger, not love and light. And that had only fed his dark energy, making it stronger.

  Rebecca opened herself completely to love. The light inside her felt as if it filled every nook and cranny of her body. It hummed and pulsed with power, a power stronger than she had ever felt before. Raising her hand above her head, she gathered her energy together.

  “You are so over, buddy,” she said, grinning confidently.

  Xander’s eyes widened with surprise. He took one small step backward and his mouth fell open in shock. He sensed something had shifted, that the dynamic between them had suddenly changed. He wanted to ask her how, and he wanted to know what was happening. She could feel his mind starting to probe hers.

  Rebecca didn’t give him a chance.

  She imagined taking the love and light inside her and molding it with her hands like she would pottery clay. She pushed the force together into a large ball shape and threw it as hard as she could straight at Xander. He frantically motioned with his hands, raising his protective shield, but it didn’t do much good. His whole body shook and he staggered back from her blow.

  The most amazing part of it all was that each surge of love she sent his way weakened him but empowered her. Each bolt helped her grow stronger while it slowly made him weaker and weaker.

  “No!” he shouted. “What are you doing? You can’t beat me, I’m too powerful.”

  “Wanna bet?” she asked quietly, raising her hands, gathering her power and sending another ball of lig
ht his way.

  Xander tried once again to shield against her but this time the force of her attack kicked him back so hard he fell down. He lay still on his back on the ground but she knew he wasn’t dead, she could feel him gathering power, trying to recover.

  She started to form another bundle of power but a noise above her caught her attention and she looked up. She was surprised to see Jason’s coworker, Christian Galiano, suddenly appear through the opening in the ceiling Rebecca had spotted earlier. Easily jumping down, he quickly scanned the room, located her and Shaina, then focused his gaze where Xander lay on the ground. His eyes glowed red and his face hardened as he started toward the wizard.

  “No, wait,” she blurted out. “You can’t do this. He feeds on hate and anger. If you attack him with that he’ll just—”

  Rebecca never got to finish. A bolt of burning fire struck her in the back. She arched away from the pain and fell to her knees. Swinging her head around, she saw Xander get to his feet and smile triumphantly at her.

  “You were saying, my dear?”

  “Leave the lady alone, warlock. Let’s finish this thing right now—man to man. Just you and me.”

  Xander’s grin widened until it looked more like an ugly leer. “Oh, I’ll finish you, vampire,” he replied with a sneer. “And once I do Rebecca and I will have a nice little conversation about who’s in control.”

  Christian strode toward Xander without hesitation but the warlock did little more than raise his hands in front of him and, with a slight flick of his wrist, send a powerful spell at the vampire before Rebecca could try to deflect it.

  Christian gasped and fell to his knees. He clutched his chest as if he were in pain.

  “Your heart is in my control now, vampire. But you really aren’t a vampire, are you, pitiful human?” Xander asked mockingly. “You feel stronger than most humans but your heart, well, it still needs to beat for you to live, doesn’t it? Therefore you’re vulnerable to me.” Xander formed his hand into a fist before squeezing his fingers together in a way that left Christian moaning with pain.

  “Who needs a stake, when all I have to do is squeeze your puny heart until it bursts?”

  “Xander, stop!” Rebecca yelled. “Leave the vampire alone and I’ll do as you say.”

  “Tsk, tsk, Becca. Do you actually expect me to believe that now?” he asked mockingly while continuing to squeeze his fist tighter.

  Christian fell forward, gasping as he hit the ground.

  “I tried to play nice, Xander, but obviously you don’t play that way. Now it’s time to end this once and for—”

  Rebecca was stopped mid-sentence yet again but this time it wasn’t from someone jumping through the opening. It was from someone coming through the tunnel door leading from Xander’s basement.

  And that someone was Jason.

  Rebecca’s heart sang as she saw him. And when he scanned the room and found her, the relief in Jason’s eyes and his boyish grin melted her heart. They shared a quick moment then Jason’s expression grew serious as he slipped his gaze from hers to look for his mother. Once he found her, he immediately started toward Shaina.

  He was stopped in his tracks as a crack of energy rent the air and lit the room. That light centered on where Shaina lay, and as its blinding brilliance glowed the gargoyle jerked and screamed out in agony.

  Rebecca turned back to Xander.

  He was trying to kill Shaina before Jason could get to her.

  Jason responded immediately. His transformation struck her with mixed feelings of fear and awe. But as he let go of his human form and became gargoyle, Rebecca couldn’t help thinking how majestic and strong he looked. She remembered the first time she had seen him in the hospital, how she had been somewhat horrified. But now, now she thought Jason’s gargoyle form was incredibly beautiful to look at. He appeared proud and noble.

  He belongs to me. He is mine. He is my heart.

  The thoughts came unbidden, surprising her with their fierce intensity. Yet at the same time a primal sense of satisfaction filled her as she accepted the fact. Jason was hers just as she was his. They were true mates.

  Jason fearlessly protected his mother’s body, blocking her from Xander’s view as he stalked at full height, head held high, wings spread wide and death in his eyes as he made his way across the room toward the warlock. Rebecca called out her warning, making sure to keep her eyes on Xander this time in case he decided to throw a spell at her again.

  “Listen to me, Jason. Xander will not be injured by hate and violence, it only makes him stronger.”

  She knew Jason heard her because he swung his piercing, glowing silver and blue stare her way, but he didn’t react. He kept walking and no recognition showed in his eyes as he quickly turned back to the warlock and roared in rage. The gargoyle was now in control. She hadn’t been able to get through to Jason.

  Xander stood his ground.

  Rebecca rushed toward the two of them, sensing what was about to happen.

  She was too late.

  “This is who you want to save, Rebecca? This monster?” Xander sneered, keeping his gaze locked on Jason. “He’s nothing but savage, primal energy. An animal, easily controlled, easily defeated. Our kind has mastered their kind for generations and will continue to do so forever. They are nothing more to us than dogs trained to obediently do as we command. Any who think differently will learn to submit or die.”

  And with those words Xander whispered an immobility spell and threw out his arms just as Jason reached him.

  The spell worked instantaneously, freezing Jason in his tracks, inches from Xander. The warlock wasted little time. He threw another bolt of energy at Jason, tipping him back so he fell to the ground next to where Christian lay, passed out.

  Rebecca had stopped walking when she saw Xander immobilize Jason. Now the warlock closed the distance between them, stepping on both Christian and Jason like they were doormats as he made his way to her.

  “You were easier to take care of than your father, Jason,” Xander said, looking down at Jason before stepping off of him. “He’d be ashamed of you now if he saw how weak you are. Of course that’s not possible since I killed him, just as I’m going to kill your mother, then you, after Rebecca and I discuss who’s the boss then kiss and make up.”

  Rebecca saw Jason’s eyes go wild with rage and helplessness. He wanted to save her and Shaina. He wanted to be her knight in shining armor. And she loved him for it. But it wasn’t going to happen.

  Not this time.

  This time, this person, this situation was one Rebecca needed to handle. It was time to take her life back. No more amnesia, no more being a victim, no more being ashamed of who or what she was, no more living in fear or at the whim of others. This was about her and her life. This was personal. She would be her own hero today. She now knew that she would be able to take care of herself for the rest of her life, no matter what situation arose.

  As Xander drew near he looked back once more to where Christian and Jason lay helpless on the ground, shook his head and chuckled.

  “Well, that was pitiful,” he said with disgust in his voice. “Don’t you think so, Becca?”

  Ignoring his words, Rebecca pulled herself together. She knew what she had to do. Conjuring the love she felt for Jason and his mother, she gathered it together into a crackling, sparkling sphere of energy. She added her love for her grandparents and finally the love she now felt for herself. The strength of all that love was almost too much to handle, more powerful than anything she had ever felt before.

  Love. There truly was nothing stronger than it in the world.

  Xander stopped before reaching her, staring at her in a way that dared her to run.

  What he didn’t realize was that she had no intention of running.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  “It looks like your saviors thought they could handle me. I guess they thought wrong, didn’t they, my dear?” Xander asked with a vicious grin.

/>   Rebecca continued her silence. The longer he talked the more time she had to gather strength. She let his words roll off her as love and healing energy continued to fill her.

  “Just as you thought wrong when you actually expected to beat me at my own game. I am the most powerful wizard in the world. It doesn’t matter what the prophecy says, both you and I realize the truth. You can’t even touch me, Becca.”

  Rebecca raised her chin proudly and narrowed her eyes dangerously.

  She thought of the old-fashioned cowboy movies, where the two gunmen met in the middle of the street, just as she and Xander faced each other now. And just like in those movies, there was always a buildup to who would make the first move, who would fire that first shot. Xander’s words brought them closer and closer to that moment.

  “Are you sure about that, Xander?” she asked quietly. An absolute calm stole over her now that she knew what she needed to do.

  Xander clenched his jaw and growled.

  He struck her across the face before she saw it coming. She almost fell back from the impact but held her ground as stars filled her vision. Before she could see straight he hit her twice more across the face then punched her in the stomach. This time his blows brought her to her knees.

  “Don’t try to defy me now, bitch. You have no one else to save you. From here on out it’s just you and me. And like I told your large gargoyle friend over there, it’s time you realized just who was in control.”

  Rebecca held her head down, gasping to breathe and struggling to clear her mind. Fear started to fill her once more but she pushed it down. Ignoring her aching face, swelling eye and blood dripping from her mouth, she took a deep breath and found her center. She found the power that was hers.

  She’d had enough.

  It was time.

  Time for that first gunman to shoot.