by Gina Shafer
“We’ve got to get out of here, figure out what the hell happened,” he says, and they all nod. I grunt in protest. What the hell? Do they not believe me?
“Wait, Soren. I’m serious. Vara spoke to me. She jumped from that window.” I nod my head in the direction of the blowing curtains. A frown mars Soren’s face and I can tell he’s unsure what to believe. I know what they’re all thinking. I’ve seen Vara before when she wasn’t really there.
“It’s okay, Elijah. We’ll get you home to rest and then we’ll talk about it,” Marcel says. I want to argue, but I know he’s right. We’ll be able to discuss things at the house. Karina will be there, and she’ll believe me. I keep silent as we move out of the room and down through the building, checking over my shoulder the entire time… looking for a glimpse of fiery red hair and silver eyes.
Karina
“Karina, they’re alive! They made it! All of them!” Scarlett announces as she bursts into my room, holding a phone in one hand and clutching her other hand around the necklace dangling at her chest. She told me once the significance of that piece of jewelry, but I can’t recall the reason for it now.
Right now, only one phrase is running through my mind, consuming all other thoughts in its path.
Elijah.
Elijah is alive. Elijah is alive. Elijah is alive.
Scarlett tilts her head to the side, and confusion drifts slowly across her face.
“Karina? Did you hear me?” she asks, taking a small step farther into the room and dropping her hand from her necklace. I realize I haven’t answered her. I’ve been stuck standing near the window, my fingers resting on where I was closing the blinds when she rushed in.
“They’re alive?” I ask. My voice comes out like a whisper, and I feel the tears well up in my eyes. I blink them away before they have a chance to fall down my cheeks. Scarlett shakes her head up and down, her hand coming up to rest lightly against her belly, and I feel a slight tug in my chest. When she crosses the room and wraps her arms around me, it takes me a moment before the feeling comes back into my limbs and I can return her embrace.
“There’s more,” she says, wiping the tears from her eyes and moving to sit on the corner of my bed.
“What is it?” I ask. What else could there be? Please tell me they killed Lincoln and Abe. My body is pacing around the room but my mind is completely still.
“Abe is dead,” she blurts out, giving voice to my thoughts. The rush of relief I feel trickles down to my toes and I close my eyes and breathe, releasing the air that has been trapped in my chest since they all left this morning. Abe is dead. Elijah is alive.
“When can we get to them?” I ask, stilling in my tracks to turn and face her.
“They’re on their way to the warehouse, so we should leave now” she says as she shifts her body forward, about to stand. I shake my head up and down, mentally running through everything we should bring for our drive. I don’t want to head out unprepared with Scarlett, in case we run into any shadow-walkers. My eyes shift over to my swords, resting in their sheaths.
“We’ll be fine, Karina, just pack the basics and we’ll bring them back here as soon as we can.” Scarlett interrupts my racing thoughts, and I turn to her and smile.
“Just trying to figure out how to transport you both safely,” I say, motioning toward the tiny bump growing at her waist. She smiles and nods, making her way from the room. Before she leaves, she grabs my shoulder once and gives it a light squeeze. She must feel the unease rolling off of me in waves.
“Scarlett…” I call out to her before she rounds the corner of the doorframe. She peeks over her shoulder, meeting my gaze.
“Is there anything else? I mean, did they tell you anything more?” I ask, curious for more details... for anything to calm my nerves for the trip ahead.
“It was just a short phone call. I’m sure they’ll have more to tell us when we get to the warehouse. I’ll fill you in on everything they said during the drive. They did mention something about Soren, but the radio cut out before I got to hear it all.” she tells me.
“Soren?” I ask.
“Your guess is as good as mine. She says before she quickly shuffles to her room.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed, my impatience getting the best of me. I want to know it all, I want to be there. I wanted to see the light leave Abe’s eyes. I want to be in Elijah’s strong arms when he tells me he’s okay.
I close my eyes again, just for a moment. Picturing Elijah standing right in front of me, showing me that smile that crosses his face not nearly enough. Then, I start packing. I move around the house tossing any weapons that we could need for our drive into a black duffel bag that I’m pretty sure belongs to Marcel. Once I’m sufficiently packed, I call for Scarlett and we head to the SUV for our drive ahead.
Walking into the warehouse feels more like entering a strange place rather than the home I grew up in during my years with the Sicarri. My eyes scan the room for Elijah, but I don’t see him. Instead, I see Micha standing near the elevator with Marcel and Shae. Shae turns his head to see me first and with a smirk, he waves me over. I nod my head as a blur streaks past me. Micha drops the folder in his hands and the papers glide across the cement floor before he wraps his arms around the blur that I’ve now realized is Scarlett. Watching their embrace, I notice that my hands are starting to shake, I don’t like that I don’t see Elijah… that I don’t know where he is.
When I’m close enough, Marcel breaks through the group and wraps his arms around me, much like a father would his daughter.
“You’re all safe,” I mumble into his jacket. He must understand me anyway because I feel him nod his head before he releases me.
“We’re all safe,” he agrees as he takes a step back, allowing me to join the small circle that’s formed. It’s then when I notice another man, one whom I’ve never seen before, standing to the right of Micha. He’s tall, probably the tallest of the group. And tan. His skin looks golden likes he’s spent his life in the sun. One quick glance up and I notice the deepest green eyes I’ve ever seen. I frown and the man notices. He offers a friendly smile, but I get a strange sensation that he could be dangerous. Who is he?
“Elijah should be down any minute,” the man says. It strikes me as odd that he would address me first, before anyone else in the group. I deepen my frown, and ever so slightly move closer to Marcel.
“I’m sure you’re wondering who he is...” Marcel says, motioning toward the man. I cross my arms over my chest, not enjoying being out of the loop. I nod, not trusting my voice. I don’t want to give away the uneasiness I feel about this man.
“Karina...” I hear a voice call out from behind me.
Elijah.
I spin in one swift move, my wavy brown hair flying around in the motion, and there it is… that feeling I was missing when Scarlett and I arrived. Home. Elijah is my home now, and the thought both excites and terrifies me. As he’s crossing the distance between us, I feel my flame ignite, filling my body with light and fire, and I have to fight to keep it under control. Already I can feel my fingertips tingling with energy. He comes to a stop right in front of me and our eyes are close enough that I can make out the tiny black specks in his irises. My fire calms, like he’s a balm for the burn. I take a moment to study him. With a small smile, he shies under my gaze. His eyes look weary; the brown seems darker than it was the last time I saw him. He must be exhausted. I lift my hand and cup his cheek, sighing when he rests his face against my palm. It’s so good to see him, to be near him.
Someone clears their throat behind us and for a moment, I think about grabbing Elijah’s hand and taking him to the nearest room. But then I remember the man. Marcel was about to tell me who he is. Elijah reaches for my hand and we both move to face the group again.
“Karina, Scarlett… meet Soren... again.” Elijah holds out the hand that isn’t holding mine for a second before dropping it back to his side. It takes me almost an entir
e minute before I realize that he’s pointing to the man. It takes even longer for my brain to recognize Soren’s name. My brain is moving in slow motion. It’s like I can feel the pieces coming together one at a time in my thoughts. Elijah is pointing to this man, calling him Soren… Soren is alive.
“What?” Scarlett asks.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you…” Soren begins, shrugging his shoulders. In the next second, Scarlett flies across the distance and wraps him in a tight hug.
I notice Elijah staring at me from the corner of my eye. When I turn my head to look at him, he nods his head in Soren’s direction and squeezes my hand once in encouragement. Then Elijah kisses my temple and takes a step back just as Scarlett returns to Micha’s side, leaving Soren and me the only ones left in the middle of the group.
“Are you okay?” I ask, looking directly at Soren. I’m not sure why this is the first question I ask him. I just know it’s the only thing that feels right.
“I’m okay,” he says, stepping closer. In all the time I’ve known Soren, he always felt like family to me. He was someone I could count on, learn from, someone important in my life. When I look at the man standing in front of me, it’s hard to connect him to that person.
“The magic… your fire… it’s not too much?” I ask.
“It’s more difficult to contain the flame now, but I’m handling it. I’ve learned some tricks,” Soren tells me.
“How did this happen?” I ask, turning my head to glance at Elijah before returning my gaze to Soren.
“Lincoln helped,” Elijah says.
“Lincoln?” I say, just barely containing a shout.
“We planned it all along,” Soren explains.
“You and Lincoln planned it or was everyone in on it?” I ask, feeling anger beginning to simmer throughout my body. Why didn’t anyone tell me?
“No, not everyone. We kept it a secret. The plan was to infiltrate Abe’s security, get close to him and take him down… but it turns out I didn’t need to in the end,” Soren continues his explanation. The tiny surge of relief I feel that I wasn’t the only one left in the dark is drowned out by Elijah’s voice.
“I’m sure we’ll have more than enough time to fill you in on everything, but for now… Karina, can I talk to you alone for a minute?” Elijah steps close to me. His words are more like a whisper against my neck rather than meant for everyone else. I nod ever so slightly, but I don’t have to guess if he feels it. He grasps my hand and starts to pull me from the group.
“Wait!” I exclaim, pulling my hand from his gently and turning around to face Soren again.
Soren’s eyes are full of surprise, which leads me to believe that my outburst was louder than I had intended. Before he has the chance to question me, I wrap my arms tightly around his neck, squeezing. I only let up slightly when I hear a huff come from his chest.
“I’m so glad you’re not really dead,” I say softly, smiling into his shoulder.
“You and me both.” He chuckles once and I let him go, returning to Elijah’s side. We make our way through the warehouse, which is still in need of a lot of repair after the attacks. Elijah leads me to the room we were in the last time we were here. The room he made love to me in for the first time. Walk across the room, remembering the purple pillow I found here, that now has a place on my bed back at the house.
“I love you,” Elijah whispers next to me while wrapping his arm around my waist and sliding his fingers over my hip. My heart skips a beat hearing him say those words again. Instead of saying it back, I lightly tap his chest three times right over his heart.
I love you, in staccato.
He understands immediately, and brings the hand that’s not grasping my waist up to rub the spot on his chest that I just touched. I can’t hold back the smile that curves my lips, but it immediately disappears when I notice the somber look on his face.
“What is it?” I ask him. My stomach feels ill.
“Something happened after I killed Abe… I was stuck in the room,” he says, his voice little more than a whisper. I have to bend my head to meet his eyes.
“You went in there alone?” I ask. Dread fills me… damn near consumes me.
“I had to. There wasn’t another way in, and I wasn’t going to let this go on any further,” he says, and I understand. I probably would have done the same thing without thinking twice. I pull my lips between my teeth for a moment before moving to sit on the bed. I realize Elijah hasn’t moved, and I pat the mattress asking him to sit beside me.
“What happened?” I ask, trying to hide the relief from showing on my face when he sits down. He turns to face me before he speaks, his eyes searching mine.
“Elijah, you’re scaring me. What the hell happened?” I ask. I feel like I’m hunting for the answer in a forest filled with thorns… barefoot.
“Vara,” he spits out like the name tastes horrible on his tongue.
“Vara?” I ask, confused. “Did you see her again?”
“Not the way you’re thinking,” he answers as he crosses his fingers in his lap. If I had to guess, he almost looks… ashamed. Why would he be ashamed?
“Then how?” I ask. He’s quiet and I fight the urge to shake him, to make the answers fall from his lips like a vending machine of information.
“She was there… really there. We spoke.” He finally breaks the silence in the room. “She said that she wanted to see me, that everything she did was for me… and Soren,” he says. I’m not sure if he’s still speaking because of the ringing in my ears and the blur in my vision. Are my lips numb? I bring my fingers up to my mouth and pinch.
Ouch.
Nope, not numb.
I stand up and pace around the room, trying to make sense of my thoughts. Somehow keeping my body moving is helping, I’m getting there.
Vara.
She isn’t dead. And she was there. Oh hell… does he still love her? Could he still love her?
“I understand if you don’t believe me… but I’m telling the truth,” Elijah says, his face tilted down toward the cold cement floor.
What is he talking about?
And then I realize I haven’t spoken since the room figuratively exploded when he dropped the Vara bomb. I cross the room and kneel in front of him, the hardness of the floor unyielding against my knee.
“Do you still love her?” Oh shit. I did not mean to ask that. That was not supposed to come out.
“What?” he asks, picking up his head and locking eyes with mine. He looks… angry.
Damn it.
“I said…” I begin, but he interrupts.
“I heard what you said. Do you really think that?” he asks me, holding my stare.
“I don’t know, Elijah. All of this is so complicated. So out of the normal realm of shit I deal with on a regular basis. I don’t know what to think anymore,” I answer, shifting on my toes and feeling uncomfortable in more than just the awkward position I’m stuck in between his legs.
“I understand. And to answer you, no, I don’t love her. I don’t want anything to do with her. I only wanted to come back to you. I was just afraid that you wouldn’t believe me, you wouldn’t think she was really there,” he tells me and my heart breaks. I grasp his cheeks between my fingers and kiss his lips lightly before telling him how I feel.
“Listen. Don’t think for one second that I would… that I could ever doubt you. Whatever it is, we will get through it together,” I tell him, imploring him to listen to my words, to hear them… understand them. When he finally lifts his head, I do the only thing that I think will get through to him. I lift my hand and tap his chest three times.
His eyes are blank for a moment, but I see the instant they change. The instant he realizes that I’m with him.
“I’m with you,” I say, reiterating my point and crawling into the open space between his knees.
“We’ll get through this together,” he says against my lips.
He’s right.
We’ll get th
rough this together.
To be continued…
Gina Shafer is the author of the Burned By Magic Series. She grew up in California, though now she resides in Georgia with her husband and two children. She likes windy weather, good food, great conversation, and most of all… good books. For contact and inquiries, please email [email protected].
You can find her on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/authorginashafer
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Keep in touch with Gina Shafer to find out more about her upcoming projects!
THE BURNED BY MAGIC SERIES:
IN SMOKE AND RUINS (2017)
BLURB:
When Karina was a little girl, her family was ripped apart at the seams. Betrayed by her mother, and left alone after her grandmother was brutally murdered, she set out to find new purpose in life.
She found it...
Karina has been part of the Sicarri for years, slaying demons with a sword in each hand. She’s focused, and nothing can get in her way. That is, until she meets a man who turns her world on it’s axis. Now she must fight against the forces who threaten to tear Elijah away from her while trying to keep her plan for vengeance from falling apart. Her journey through love and loss sets her life ablaze and after the fire burns, Karina is left to sift through the ruins.
IN SMOKE AND RUINS PREVIEW
PROLOGUE
Karina - Age 10
“Grandma!” I call from my bedroom. I am sitting on the floor, surrounded by clothes, and I can’t find my favorite yellow jacket—the one with the purple zipper. It’s my favorite because of the colors and the little jewel that snaps the collar shut. My grandma says it’s amethyst, but I just like it because it’s purple and shiny. I stand up when my grandma doesn’t answer me. She must be busy washing up the dishes and didn’t hear me. I should go and find her.
