“I promise we’ll still have our date. We’re just giving him a ride. Nothing more.”
“Okay.”
Peter swung by Seth’s house and picked him up. He was dressed in blue scrubs and Ava felt his nervousness radiating heavily. They arrived at the school and met up with Melissa and Lance.
Melissa had curled her long blond hair and she wore a long sleeved black knit dress that came above her knees. She had a high wing collar cape around her neck complete with fishnet stockings and knee boots. Lance was dressed as Dracula.
“Vampires?” Seth asked.
Melissa grinned. “Yep. I tried to get Lance to put some glitter on, but he wouldn’t.”
Lance rolled his eyes. “That’s because vampires do not glitter.”
Ava laughed. “Some do, apparently.”
They walked inside the dark gym lit only by black lights. Dance music reverberated off the cement walls and there were streamers and spider webs everywhere. Fake bodies sat in chairs or poked out from the closed up bleachers or hung from the rafters. She hadn’t expected the bodies and wondered if anyone would have flashbacks to the bombing or something.
Peter slid his hand in hers and pulled her toward the middle of the dance floor, where several people actually danced.
“What are we doing?” she shouted over the music.
“Dancing. I know the music sucks, but we should make the best of it.” He turned around and kissed her fervently. She didn’t know where the sudden burst of zeal came from, but she followed along, enjoying the feel of his emotions as intense as hers. The euphoria was like a drug in her bloodstream.
She felt his hands on the small of her back, holding her close as they danced to some song that had no rhythm. But she didn’t care. She completely lost herself in him. There was no one else there, no one but them under the black lights. This was what she needed. The music, Peter, the way he held her, all of it made her feel alive.
“I can’t believe you,” someone shouted behind them.
Ava and Peter broke apart to see Valerie and Amanda, dressed in identical angel costumes, their wings glowing in the black lights, standing with hands on hips.
“What?” Peter asked.
“You’re dancing with this devil worshipper,” Valerie said with such incredulity. “She and all her friends are responsible for the bombing. What the hell is up with you?”
Not this again.
Ava crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I do not worship the devil and we had nothing to do with the bombing, you freak.”
Amanda’s jaw dropped.
Valerie narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t talking to you.” She turned to Peter. “Do you know who you’re dancing with, Peter? She’s a killer. Just like the rest of them. You and Seth joined their cult under their spell. You went missing and then suddenly you’re with her. And then you act like you don’t even know us.”
Ava was a little surprised that he hadn’t talked to them at all in the past few months, but her mind circled around the name ‘killer.’ Valerie didn’t know how right she was. Ava wanted to leave.
“None of them were responsible for the bombing, okay?” Peter said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around. There’s just a lot going on.”
“Yeah. It’s her,” she spat, glancing at Ava. “What did she do to you? Bewitch you just like Xavier did with Seth?”
This was really getting old.
Peter sighed. “No, she didn’t bewitch me.”
“Whatever. She even has you wearing that stupid necklace like hers. I knew she would do this. She’s manipulating you.”
Ava tightened her fists. “Why don’t you leave him alone? Go find some other obsession.”
She glared. “Why don’t you stop messing with him and go fly a broom?”
“Stop,” Peter said. “I’m sorry you can’t be happy for me, but you don’t have a hold over me, you know?”
Valerie’s face twisted in incredulity. “Hold over you? You only wish. She’s the one with the hold over you. She took you away from your friends and completely changed you. Now you and Seth act like you’re better than us.”
“No we don’t.”
She shook her head. “You don’t see it, but she’s controlling you like some puppet. Like Xavier did with Seth.”
“Valerie,” Peter yelled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“She’s bad luck. Her mother died. Her father almost died. Don’t you see what will happen to you if you stay? You’ll end up dead.”
Valerie’s malicious words ripped through Ava. Her amulet grew warm under her dress and she knew it glowed. She shouldn’t have cared what they said. They had no idea what was going on.
But Ava didn’t care. She only felt the hurt that Valerie spewed from her mouth. The anger swallowed her. Ava clenched her hand into a fist and drove it into Valerie’s face.
Valerie moaned and fell to her knees. Amanda shrieked. Ava vaguely heard the ooh’s of the audience that had collected.
Peter kneeled beside Valerie. “Are you okay?”
Blood trailed down from her nose. “What the hell, you psycho.”
Peter quickly untied his tie and pressed it to her nose. “What is wrong with you?” he asked Ava.
Ava’s heart faltered. She couldn’t believe she just did that, but it angered and hurt her that Peter worried over Valerie. Had he not heard what she said?
“I think she broke it,” Valerie said.
Peter lifted her and placed her arm around his neck. “Come on. I’ll take you to the hospital.” He reached in his pocket, took out his keys, and handed them to Ava. “Take my car home. I’ll be there soon.”
“Is this necessary?” she asked.
Peter threw her an annoyed look and then left.
She gripped the keys in her hand. Their teeth dug into her skin. Several people stared at her standing alone. Their looks of disgust and fear forced Ava to leave. She stormed outside, welcoming the cold wind. The full moon gave plenty of light for her to find his car.
She couldn’t believe how quickly the evening had changed. And she couldn’t believe that Peter actually took Valerie to the hospital and tended to her at all. Ava hadn’t broken her nose. She barely even hit her. Besides, she had said that Peter would die if he stayed with Ava. Had he somewhat believed that?
She wanted to get out of there for fear of injuring yet another Ephemeral, even though the energy that pulsed through her veins begged to break free. What was wrong with her? Her instincts told her she had Cimmerian blood, given everything she had recently committed. She wasn’t good. Did she really belong with Savina?
“Hey, where are you going?” Melissa’s voice shouted.
Ava didn’t slow down. “I’m getting out of here.”
“What happened?”
“I punched Valerie Hammond in the face.” She reached Peter’s car, jerked the door open, and plopped in the seat.
Melissa opened the passenger side and slid in. “I’m coming with you.”
“What about Lance?”
“He’ll be fine. I can tell you need someone to talk to.”
Ava started the engine, and then drove away. She really didn’t want to go to the Manor, but she wasn’t about to go anywhere else in this ridiculous outfit.
“Spill it,” Melissa said. “And slow down.”
She rolled her eyes, but let off the gas just a little, and then explained everything that had happened.
“Peter took her to the hospital. How hard did you hit her?”
“Not hard. She’s in love with him and this is just one of her tactics to get with him.”
“So weird. I mean, one minute you two were about to set that gym on fire and then the next you’re angry. You shouldn’t have hit her though.”
“I really don’t want to hear that right now.”
“You know I’m right. I mean remember when Thomas pummeled Peter. We cannot hurt the Ephemerals. Even if sometimes they deserve it.”
That stung.
“Melissa,” Ava cried.
“Crap. Sorry. That was stupid. I just meant…maybe we should lay low for a while. You haven’t told Peter what really happened that night, have you?”
“No. There’s no way. He wouldn’t understand. I secretly think he still wants to be one. Seth does.”
“You need to tell him, Ava.”
Ava gripped the steering wheel harder. “Melissa, not now.”
“One day it’s going to come out and it won’t be pretty. Peter loves you and will understand.”
“I don’t know, Mel. My mind has been crazy the past few months. And it’s only gotten worse with what I did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I keep thinking—.” Something cold grazed against her neck and she shivered. She swatted at it. That was weird. The cold was centralized around her neck.
“What’s wrong? Is there a bug?”
“I don’t know. I just—.” There it was again. Little drops of ice pressed into her skin. Then, full lines of ice. What was that? Just as she tried to swat at it again, it squeezed tightly, cutting off her breath. She grabbed her neck and felt fingers. She glanced in the rear view mirror but nothing was there.
“Ava,” Melissa shouted.
Ava hit the brakes, but her foot slipped. The icy grip jerked her body against the seat.
Then, she didn’t see the road or steering wheel or feel the seat or hear Melissa’s screams. Everything went dark. She saw dark eyes. Black hair. Pale skin. A sinister grin. Corbin. Next to him was a woman with red hair and gray eyes.
Ava’s breath hitched.
Her mother stood next to Corbin with a proud smile on her face. There was someone kneeling before them with long blond hair.
Water trickled from her mother’s hand forming into an icicle, and then she stabbed the woman in the chest.
A loud crash sounded and glass exploded in Ava’s face. Her body lunged forward, and then she felt weightless. The car settled and Ava hung upside down by the seatbelt.
Everything went quiet. Her head pounded, and she felt something trickle down her face. A sharp pain stabbed her in the ribs, making it difficult to breathe. The visions were getting worse and now she had just wrecked Peter’s car.
“Mel,” she choked, and slowly turned her head. Melissa’s eyes were closed and her body was limp. “Melissa!” She was just unconscious. Ava refused to think otherwise.
She had to get them out of there. Bracing her body with one hand on the roof of the car, her other hand jerked the seatbelt and broke it. She fell and let out a cry.
Ava slowly crawled through the broken window of the door, cutting her hands on the glass, and looked around. She was in the middle of nowhere and had no idea where her phone landed. Her body shook uncontrollably and she tried to remain calm.
She rolled onto her back and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her leg throbbed and rested in an unnatural position. The car had landed upside down and blood had splattered all in the interior. There was a clump of blond hair near the backseat of the car. Ava crawled closer, wanting to know who it belonged to. She brushed aside the hair. Trudy McVaine.
Her breath hitched. How had she gotten in the car? Ava realized it must have been her invisible hands choking her. She didn’t know if Trudy was dead or alive and she was in no shape to fight an invisible woman. Melissa had to be saved. But there were so many questions Ava wanted to ask Trudy, even though she was sure Trudy wouldn’t answer them.
She couldn’t stand so she started crawling toward the other side of the car to Melissa. Every breath was a struggle, but they had to get out of there. Ava wished she could call Gabriel.
As she neared the rear end of the car, she heard glass shatter. Ava lowered herself to look through the windows and saw black boots and large hands drag Melissa’s limp body through the broken glass.
“Mel.” Ava heaved herself onto her one good leg, and supported most of her weight on the car. A man with whitish blond hair and strong features stood upright, his hands up in surrender.
“I’m only trying to help,” he said.
Where had he come from? There weren’t any houses or cars nearby. It was just thick woods. “Where did you come from?”
“A couple of friends and I were camping out just up the hill and I heard a crash.”
But when she looked up the hill, there was no sign of a campfire or any sound whatsoever.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“She needs to get to the hospital soon.” His dark eyes roved over Ava. “And you should, too.”
“I have help coming,” she lied. “But thanks.” She didn’t trust this guy at all. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere. Was he an Enchanter? Did he have some sort of invisibility power like Trudy?
“Come on. Let me help you.” He hoisted Melissa onto his shoulder.
Ava stiffened, poised for attack. “Put her down.”
A devil smile spread on his thin lips. “I’m helping you.”
Water snaked its way down her arms and collected at her hands. “Leave her alone.”
“You should just come with me. I can give you the help you need.”
Ava raised her hands and shot a powerful stream of water at him. He fell back and dropped Melissa. She wanted to rush to Melissa, but she couldn’t walk. “Who are you?”
The man got to his feet, anger flushed on his face. “Someone who’s about to teach you a lesson. Where do you come off hurting someone who is assisting you?” He moved closer and she shot him again. He dodged and tackled her to the ground. She fell back hard, and with his weight on her, a piercing pain shot throughout her body.
Ava cried out.
He pinned her arms above her head.
She squirmed and pushed against him, ignoring the intense ache in her ribs. He lifted her slightly and then slammed her to the ground. Everything around her whirled.
“Would you listen to me?” he yelled, his dark eyes held hers. “I’m trying to save you from them. You and your friends belong with us, Ava.”
She stopped struggling. “Who?”
“Havok.”
Her blood turned cold at the name. Devon had mentioned him, but Ava thought it was him using the name and talking about himself in the third person.
“It’s your destiny,” he said. “And deep down you know it’s true.”
Her stomach dropped and suddenly she felt hollow inside. It wasn’t true. She was determined. She was not a Cimmerian. Her mother wasn’t a Cimmerian. Ava was good. No matter what she had done. But she didn’t know if this guy knew what had happened. Had he been following her like Trudy had?
“I can see you’re thinking about it. This is who you are, Ava.” He leaned down. “Just like your mother,” he whispered.
Ava ground her teeth together. She kneed him where it counted and he rolled off her with a groan. She pinned him down and imagined him drowning. He coughed and choked until he fell silent. His eyes stared into the dark night.
She twisted around and saw that Trudy was gone. Fear gripped her insides and froze her heartbeat. Had she taken Melissa? Were there others coming for them? Was Trudy going to attack? She closed her eyes and listened for anything.
But there was nothing. Not even a scurry of footsteps from an animal in the woods. No sound but the wind rustling through the fall trees. Their leaves detaching from the branches and floating in the air or scraping across the road. She crawled as fast as she could to the other side of the car and relaxed once she saw Melissa. Ava grabbed her arm and pulled her close.
Melissa moaned.
Ava breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re awake.” She kissed the top of Melissa’s head. It was sticky from the blood. She hated the iron smell of blood.
The moon’s brightness cast shadows all around her and the air had gotten colder. The brisk wind didn’t help. She was too focused on her shallow breathing to make herself warm. Ava gripped Melissa holding her close to her side. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get them to safety
, but hoped someone would come for them soon.
Ava hoped Valerie freaking Hammond was doing great. But if she hadn’t punched her, none of this would have happened. Or would it have? Trudy had gotten into Peter’s car and hid in the backseat. What did she want? Were the Cimmerians trying to kill her and the others? Didn’t that go against what Devon or whoever wanted? Or did the Cimmerians want something different from the Elementals?
Why had Trudy shown her a vision of her mother killing someone? Had that really happened? Was that why she was killed? And then she stood next to Corbin like a proud Cimmerian. Was that the vision Marcel had?
The questions garbled in her mind as a throbbing sensation filled her head.
She saw down the road, headlights coming closer. There was no way she could escape in time or get Melissa to make them invisible.
The car slowed to a stop and Ava braced herself as two men got out.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
HEART OF DARKNESS
“Ava?” a voice shouted. It sounded worried.
Ava tightened her grip on Melissa, but she recognized the voice. One of the men blocked the blinding headlight and she relaxed. Lance.
Tears welled in her eyes. She had never been so happy to see him.
Seth and Lance hurried over to her.
“What happened?” Seth asked. “Is she okay?”
“She’s alive,” Ava said, her voice raspy and almost nonexistent. Breathing was still extremely difficult. “We have to get out of here.”
Lance took Melissa in his arms while Seth picked up Ava. They carried both of them to the car.
Once inside, Lance sped along the quiet road. “Was that Peter’s car?” he asked, his voice rough. “Where is he?”
“What happened?” Seth asked. “Who was that guy back there?”
She was trying to figure that out herself. She couldn’t speak. Her body was battered and broken. The silly Halloween costume was cut all to shreds. Ava licked her lips and tasted blood. She wanted to close her eyes, but she held on.
How were they going to enter the Manor without anyone knowing about her accident? She couldn’t worry her father like that.
Under the Burning Stars Page 16
