by K. R. Conway
Unfortunately, all I really wanted to be was a Barnstable High School senior and not look like an idiot in my school picture. Instead I was a rare, zillion-watt light bulb. I bet if I shook my family tree hard enough, Big Foot, Nessy, and even the Sea Witch would come tumbling out and squash me.
I got up close and personal with the Lunaterra side of me when I went all “mega-bomb” inside the Breakers. The Mortis part, however, didn’t seem to show itself. I had no desire to suck the soul out of anyone, and I wasn’t fast or strong . . . or immortal. At least I didn’t think I was immortal. I was 17, soon to be 18, and “immortal” was decades away.
Raef and Kian were thankfully immune to my power, though they did have a few dings and dents after my epic light show. We had known they were unaffected by my power since they had witnessed Elizabeth’s death when she called on the limitless energy of the Core within the Web of Souls. Her lightning-like energy incinerated nut-job, Jacob Rysse, but didn’t kill Raef or Kian – a fact for which I was extremely grateful. Her death sparked the local town myth that claimed she was struck by lightning.
Yeah – not quite.
It was entirely possible that the healing ability of the Mortis part of me allowed me to survive the Core collapse of my power inside the Breakers. When Elizabeth had tried it in 1851, she had been killed. Christian said he had found her, lifeless, in the harbor square after she had eliminated Rysse. He said he took her body and buried her and sent her necklace back to the young woman named Katherine who had altered it for her.
A necklace that unlocked Elizabeth’s diary, and was now in the hands of my most loathed classmate: Nikki Shea.
I could kiss that sucker goodbye.
I slammed the driver’s door shut and walked around the back towards Ana who was sliding out her side. Her walking boot was awkward, but soon would thankfully be retired. She wobbled slightly on the slick ground, but Kian was quickly next to her, one broad hand on her back.
“I am not a total klutz you know?” she protested, cursing the slushy driveway.
Kian slid her a sly smile. “Yeah, well . . . knowing your luck, you will slip and break the other leg and then I will be giving you piggy back rides everywhere. Actually, I could get down with that arrangement.”
Ana punched him in the arm, but then slipped. He grabbed her quickly and pinned her to his side. “Jeez woman! It wasn’t a dare!”
“Will you just help me get inside already?” she sighed, gripping the front of his leather jacket tighter as she slowly made her way across the slick ground to the door. I followed, trying not to smile as she and Kian continued to argue about everything, including the size of the snowflakes.
Raef stepped in next to me, his hands in his black coat pockets. “So Kian and I are going to head back to Torrent Road briefly, get changed and then we’ll be back.”
I nodded, but a biting wind tore around the house and I tried to tuck my face down into my coat. Raef moved in front of me, shielding my face and body from the brutal gust. The treetops slashed back and forth violently in the gale, as if an invisible giant was pounding through the woods, but just as suddenly as it started, the wind died, and I was mere inches from Raef’s chest.
He looked at me while he dusted the snow from my jacket hood. “I have a feeling we might lose power tonight. I’ll make sure the fireplaces are ready to go, just in case.”
“Mae will appreciate that. Thanks, Raef,” I replied as we finally made it through the side door to the house.
Mae appeared from the laundry room, a basket of folded linens in her arms, her crazy red hair pinned up in a bun. “Hi Guys! How was the surfing?” she asked, sliding the basket onto the counter.
“Excellent, Ma’am,” replied Kian, helping Ana to sit at the table. He knelt before her and started unstrapping the walking boot from her leg. Ana, never one to be pampered, immediately leaned forward to help, but instead cracked heads with Kian. She bit back a swear as Kian sat back on his heels, “Can you just sit still for two seconds?”
“I can do it,” she demanded, rubbing her head.
“I KNOW you can, but there is snow caked in the buckles. Just chill for one moment. Please.”
Ana slouched, resigned, as Kian continued working on the boot. I hung my jacket by the door as Raef walked over to Mae. He smiled at her as he reached for the basket. “The waves were terrific. Perfect swells. Do you want this on the second floor landing as usual, Ms. Johnson?” he asked, shifting the basket in his hands.
“For the twentieth time, it’s Mae. Please. And you don’t need to do that. You and Kian have already done so much these past weeks. I would have been lost without you. All of you. Even Mr. Raines.”
Ugh. The way the word Raines curled off her lip, I knew she had a serious crush on my soul-stealing, ultra-great grandfather.
I laid down the law with Christian Raines weeks ago; Mae was off limits. And while Christian had obeyed, having him a few miles away at his new Torrent Road home was causing quite the kerfuffle in both our house and throughout the town. He was, after all, Newport’s Most Eligible Bachelor three years running, and now he was living in a massive stone villa known to the locals as the Island House, though we called it simply Torrent Road. Mae had no clue about Christian’s darker side – or mine for that matter.
MJ argued that Raines should be disqualified from Newport’s hot-hunk competition, since he was a Mortis. Soul-sharks, he said, had an unfair advantage in the looks department and as I studied Kian and Raef, I knew he was absolutely right.
Raef, with his very dark-blond hair, chiseled physique, flawless face, and stunning deep blue eyes, looked as though he fell off the front of a Hollister shopping bag. Kian, equally perfect, was taller, with blond hair that fell straight near his broad shoulders, as if he was a posterboy for a surfing company. Like Raef, his deep blue eyes hid a blackness that could blot out the blue, and his hands, so gentle with Ana, were capable of incredible violence. I saw him kill someone in front of me with those hands and witnessed the rage that encompassed his body when he did so. No remorse, no regret, but he saved my life and Ana’s.
I wasn’t super keen on having Christian so close, especially with the adoring stars in Mae’s eyes. But Christian had helped us, enormously. He paid all my medical bills and he opened his house to both Kian and Raef, who needed somewhere to stay now that Cerberus was in southern waters for the winter.
Christian had also managed to charm the crap out of MJ’s folks, convincing them that he would be an excellent silent partner at the Milk Way – basically he was their personal bank at a zero-percent interest rate. I’m pretty sure he did it to smooth over MJ’s mom, whose anger about her son being involved in my crazy life was still at Code Red level.
Raines’s home was also where all the books and papers from Dalca Anescu’s shop, the Crimson Moon, were stashed. A shop that no longer existed, because Kian and Raef had burned the building to the ground, after removing any shred of evidence that could reveal our world to the FBI.
Torching the building was a risk. FBI Agents Mark Howe and Anthony Sollen had visited me in the hospital and several times at my house. They asked many questions, over and over, about what happened in the Breakers and if I knew what happened to the Crimson Moon. I was worried that somehow, some way, they would realize I was the cause of the damage to the Breakers. But who in their right mind would ever believe that a teenager could channel a mythic power so brutal that it shattered a large portion of a famed, national treasure?
Yes, the FBI was sniffing around, but they were also chasing their tail.
I nodded to Ana, who was finally free of her black boot. “Want to go change? It’s a fuzzy-pjs kind of day.”
“Hell yes. I’m frozen,” she replied as Kian pulled her to her feet. He pouted and Ana gave him a questioning look, “What?”
He shook his head, “I don’t have any fuzzy PJs. I’m bummed.” He gave her a smile and she shook her head, but a twisted grin escaped her lips. He turned to Mae and began cha
tting about the storm as Ana and I followed Raef out of the kitchen and up the main staircase to our rooms.
Raef set the basket of laundry near the door to the bathroom, which Ana and I shared. I pushed open my bedroom door as Ana did the same across the hall from me.
“You feeling okay?” asked Raef, as he leaned back against the wall next to the bathroom. To anyone else, Raef acted like a polite, helpful high schooler, which was what made his true identity all the more chilling. A Mortis was impossible for anyone to identify until it was too late. Mortis couldn’t even pick out one another from a crowd, just as humans can’t identify a convict in a room full of bikers.
“I feel good. I’m going to get into some cozy clothes and help Mae prep some food for tomorrow. You know she expects you and Kian to come to dinner, right?”
He nodded, “Yeah. Not sure how we are going to work around the food thing though.” The reality was, Mortis didn’t eat food. They noshed on life-forces, and the turkey downstairs in the fridge was definitely lacking in that department.
“Just come. You guys can make up an excuse – some strange fasting for an unknown religion or something. She is so excited to have company for Thanksgiving. We never do. It’s always just the two of us, and Ana hasn’t celebrated Turkey Day or Christmas since her dad died.”
“I haven’t celebrated either holiday since 1850,” replied Raef, a smile pulling at his mouth. He stepped over to me and leaned down so he was eyeball-to-eyeball with me. “I’m actually looking forward to it.”
“Really?” I squeaked. I was super excited to be having the holidays in my new home with my friends, Mae, and Raef. Sometimes I even laid in bed, thinking about finding that ideal tree with my four friends. Of course, Ana and MJ would argue over which evergreen was perfect, and she would make him spin each frothy spruce about 100 times, but I was silly-giddy about the whole season. I shook my fists dweebily and started to squeal, thrilled that he was happy.
“Okay – well it’s not THAT exciting,” he laughed and I couldn’t help it – I crossed our hidden line and hugged him.
He stilled for just a moment and my heart damn near stopped, but then he wrapped his arms around me and pressed me into his solid chest. My throat tightened and I managed to whisper, “Don’t take too long at Christian’s.”
He pulled back from me, just enough to see my face and my glassy eyes. “Am I ever gone long?”
I laughed, “No, I guess not. Am I just that addictive?”
He swallowed and looked more serious, “I’d say that’s an understatement.”
I heard the door click shut across the hall, and Raef released me, turning to see Ana in a pair of mis-matched PJs. Raef nodded to her fuzzy pants, covered with a certain green, Dr. Suess character. “Is that Elmo?”
Ana looked horrified, “Elmo? Are you color blind? Elmo is red and this . . .” she pointed to one of the emerald faces, “ . . . is THE GRINCH! You know, for someone who has been around for almost two centuries, you really are lacking in your furry-monster identification skills.”
“I’ll be sure to work on that,” replied Raef, amused. He looked back at me as I bit back a smile. “I’ve got to go so I can get back before the storm really hits. Do you two want anything while I’m out?”
“Christmas Tree Peeps!” said Ana, raising her hand.
“What in the world is a Peep?” asked Raef.
Ana slapped her hand to her forehead, “Oh my god, you guys are like aliens. How do you not know what Peeps are? Are you from another planet?”
Raef just shrugged, “I don’t exactly go the grocery store.”
“It’s okay, Raef. Ana and I are going to help Mae, and maybe overdose on some cookie dough, so forget the Peeps,” I smiled.
“Okay then. I’ll be back, sans Peeps . . . whatever they are.” He turned to Ana, “And I’ll see you soon as well, Elmo.”
He headed downstairs, while Ana protested fiercely, “IT’S NOT ELMO!”
4 Raef
I crossed the line. Ran clean through my wall.
But the worst part was, I didn’t care, because for one moment I had Eila in my arms. As Kian and I drove over to Torrent Road, I reran how she felt against me over and over. Allowing myself to be distracted by my feelings for Eila could only lead to disaster, but I could feel how desperately she held onto me. How could I ever rebuild the wall between us without breaking her heart?
I looked over at Kian, and realized he had done it. He had left Ana last summer, despite how much he loved her. He left because she told him to, knowing that there were random Mortis trolling the Cape waters for victims. How was he so sure she could defend herself?
“I know I am way better looking than your sorry ass, but staring is annoying,” said Kian, never taking his eyes from the road. I gave a clipped laugh.
He ran a gloved hand over the Rover’s black steering wheel. “Did you kiss her?” he asked, never one to skirt the issues.
“No,” I replied, refusing to ever divulge details of what Eila and I shared when we were alone. I protected her, privacy included.
“Liar. You came down from her room like a man reborn. I heard something about Elmo, but I sure as shit hope that has nothing to do with your lighter mood.” When I didn’t reply, a knowing, devious grin curled onto his lips and I wanted to punch him in the head, though that desire was nothing new. “You bloody well kissed her. You have zero self-control.”
I turned slightly in my seat, anger slowly rising inside me. I had more self-control than Kian could ever drag out of every cell in his body. “Is that what allowed you to leave Ana behind? Self-Control? Or did you just not really give a damn last summer at all?” Okay – I knew that last part was a lie, but I just wanted to piss him off.
Kian’s head swung sharply in my direction and his glare was like steel, “Don’t you ever accuse me of not worrying about Ana. She is all I care about. All I think about.”
“Oh really? Because you seemed to walk away last summer without looking back.” I was on a roll, frustrated and angry, and Kian was an easy target.
“Because it was what she wanted!” he hissed back, as he hooked a left into Torrent Road. Christian’s home appeared like a crouching giant at the very end of the lane.
He pulled up to the front entrance and slammed the shift into park, turning to me. “Yes, I left her because she wanted me gone. But in the time I had with her, I showed her how to protect herself. I encouraged her to practice her psychic abilities and use them as a defense system, which you are NOT doing for Eila. I still worried, every second of every day, but I loved her enough to believe in her, and I left her with all the knowledge I could.”
I growled in frustration as I rubbed my forehead. Deep down I knew Kian probably climbed the walls once he left Ana behind. There was one huge contrast between the girls though. “It’s different with Eila. What if I encourage her to train and she kills herself?” I questioned, staring out the snowy windshield at Christian’s house.
“Then I guess we better figure out how to train her without her dying. You put her in danger when you show no confidence in her and leave her with no weapons. Right now, YOU are her biggest safety threat, Raef. She was strongest going into the Breakers because you believed in her and the two of you didn’t try to box away that freaky connection you both share. You’ve cut her off from your confidence and your love, moron. I would never do that to Ana.” He yanked the key from the ignition and stepped out of the SUV, slamming the door shut in his wake.
I sat in the silence of the Ranger’s black interior and watched Kian walk through the snow and up the granite stairs to Christian’s house. Could he actually be right? I liked to think I always knew best when it came to Eila’s protection, but what he said did make some sense . . . and holding her again was a lot more appealing than keeping her at arm’s length.
Could we have both? Did strength and courage only grow when we were connected? Maybe she only needed me, backing her up and believing that she could be a brilliant fighter,
just like Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, whom I watched die.
I literally felt ill when I remembered back to what Elizabeth looked like, dead on the cobblestone street in 1851. Eila had looked so similar that night at the Breakers.
My stress level jumped clear off the chart at the thought of Eila attempting to call the Web of Souls’ energy. We had no clue how a Lunaterra commanded the Web. The disaster in the Breakers was an overload of her power and entirely uncontrolled. An allergic reaction to what I had done to her.
Through the windshield I saw Kian staring at me. He thumbed back at the house, signaling me to get inside with him. I growled as I pushed out the passenger door and walked through the snow to where he stood. I was exhausted, hungry, and angry that I didn’t know how to help the girl I loved.
Kian was still glaring at me as the snow fell around us. His look was hard, but he finally sighed and ran his hand down his face. “Look, man, we’ll figure it out. We have all of Dalca’s crap here and Elizabeth’s diary. Once we get the necklace back from Bitchy-Pants and unlock the book, I am sure there will be a written recipe for frying soul thieves inside that Eila can follow. Until then, we just keep an eye out for anything odd and give the girls some self-defense training, human-style.” Kian grinned, “Plus, rolling around on gym-mats gives me a chance to pin Ana to the floor.”
“Ana knows all about your wandering hands. She’ll neuter you before you can even call for mercy,” I replied.
“Yes – but then hopefully she will be guilt ridden, and pamper me.”
I just shook my head. Even though Kian and I were living at Torrent Road, we didn’t get to just talk much. One of us was usually around Eila’s house, so we barely passed one another. Our days and nights were filled with searching through Dalca’s books and papers, tracking the occasional visit from F-B-Irritating Agent Howe, and keeping a watchful eye out for any visiting Mortis.
Christian, who had a larger presence in the soul thief underground than we did, also kept tabs on any possible chatter related to the Breakers. He was concerned that if other Mortis realized the explosion was due to a Lunaterra, Eila could be targeted for elimination. There were many soul thieves who had fought against the Lunaterra and would no doubt freak if they knew one lived.
