by Lia Davis
Kalissa shivered and whirled around to look out into the forest surrounding the cabin. Something was out there. A familiar essence. Taunting, waiting.
Chapter 15
Khloe led Lydia, Jacen, and Melaina through the front door of the two-story log cabin. The foyer opened to the living room. The open floor plan made the place look much bigger on the inside as compared to the outside. Khloe smiled at Lydia’s amazement as she entered the mountain home.
“This is nice,” Lydia said.
“Thanks,” Khloe and Kalissa said at the same time and then laughed.
Willow drifted in from behind Khloe and pulled her into a tight hug instantly. Khloe hugged the nymph back and blinked away the tears that surfaced. Gods, she’d missed her adopted sister. A pang of guilt rose up in her heart. She should have visited before now. Willow was family. The last time she’d seen her was at her parents’ funeral.
“Um, Khloe. You’re bleeding.” Lydia’s voice seeped through her thoughts.
“What? Where?” Khloe pulled out of the hug with Willow and checked herself over, looking at her front and then twisting around to see her back side.
“Your head,” Lydia pointed out.
Willow pulled back and looked at Khloe’s forehead. “Lo, sit,” she commanded.
Khloe rolled her eyes. She sat down on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter without a word. She knew better than to give any lip to Willow. Plus, it was nice to hear the motherly tone again.
Lydia sat on the stool next to her and lifted her hair to see the wound. A bowl of warm water with a washcloth drifted into sight.
“Thanks.” She took the bowl and froze for a brief second.
Khloe shifted her eyes to see Zach standing there, holding the bowl, staring blankly at Lydia. He was as captivated as a preteen meeting his first crush. She had never seen him react to anyone like that before. It amused her. With lips pressed together to hold back a smile, she took the bowl from him. “That’s Zachary,” she said with a smirk.
“Hello, Zachary,” Lydia said shyly as her brother move closer. Apparently, he’d noticed the attraction too and now stood behind Willow, close to Zach. Hovering like an overprotective parent. Lydia rolled her eyes at her brother. “And this is my overprotective brother, Jacen.” She stressed the word ‘overprotective’ for Jacen’s sake.
“Zach.”
Lydia looked at him, confused. “What?”
“It’s Zach. Everyone calls me Zach. Only Khloe and my mother call me Zachary.” He made a face when he said his full first name.
“I’m still bleeding over here,” Khloe mused, feeling a little claustrophobic with everyone hovering around. She was tempted to call Kalissa, Ayden, and Melaina over to complete the gathering.
“It’s nice to meet you, Zach,” Lydia said, taking the cloth out of the water and wringing it out. She started cleaning Khloe’s wound.
“May I ask you how far along you are?” Khloe asked to break the sudden silence.
Lydia smiled. “Six months, yesterday.”
“Oh!” Willow exclaimed as if noticing Lydia’s condition for the first time. She reached out and stopped when her hand was inches from Lydia’s stomach. Willow looked at Lydia. “May I?” Lydia nodded. Willow smiled widely and placed her hand gently on Lydia’s belly. “He’s a strong one.”
“You know the exact date you conceived?” Khloe asked when Willow removed her hand and stepped back. Lydia nodded and then blushed slightly. “Oh. Apologies. That was personal.”
“It’s okay. My Mikal died in a car crash four months ago.” Lydia’s expression saddened, making Khloe feel sorry she’d asked.
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Grief flooded her. Lydia and Jacen had lost their parents a little over two years ago. Now Lydia had to bury her husband, too. How could she be so motivated to help collect the Sinew? Probably driven by grief and rage, Khloe decided.
“An accident?” Kalissa asked from the other side of the counter.
Lydia nodded. “Yes, but I don’t believe it was related to the Divinities’ accidents.”
“I still think it was a mistaken identity,” Jacen broke his silent lurking stance behind Zach.
Khloe smirked inwardly, remembering that Jacen was telepathic. She thought about warning Zach for a second, then decided to leave it alone. Zach would learn on his own.
“How so?” Ayden asked Jacen.
“Mikal was taking the car in for service, something that Lydia was going to do before she told him she was pregnant,” Jacen took his gaze off his sister and glanced to Ayden.
“Mikal thought I should rest at home because so much can happen during the first trimester,” Lydia added.
“Like I told Lydia, she was supposed to be in that car. Plus, Mikal wasn’t a Divinity.”
Lydia let out a sigh. “Mikal was a warlock,” she volunteered. Everyone got so quiet, Khloe could hear the crickets outside. “Mikal was adopted as a baby and raised with witches inside a coven.”
“He was a good man.” Jacen didn’t hide the sadness in his tone for the loss of his brother-in-law.
Lydia finished cleaning Khloe’s wound. “It doesn’t look so bad now. Do you want a bandage?”
Khloe wrinkled her nose. “Nah. I’ll live.”
Willow clapped in excitement, making everyone jump. “The Divinities are together again.” She hovered in midair and then floated over to Melaina, who was sitting at the kitchen table. “It’s so good to see you again, Mel. Isn’t it nice to have everyone together?” Willow was filled with glee.
“Hello, Willow. You look as beautiful as ever. Yes, it is wonderful to have the Divinities together again.” Melaina looked at the group. “May I make a proposal?” Melaina asked.
“Sure,” Kalissa said.
“I was sitting here, observing how comfortable everyone is with each other, and it reminded me of old times when the Divinities lived together. Jace and Dia are moving to Maxville anyway…”
“Move in with us,” Kalissa blurted out, cutting Melaina off in a rush that reminded her of something Khloe would do.
“Yeah. We have plenty of room in that huge house. That way, we can be together and protect the Sinew,” Khloe added.
Melaina smiled and nodded. “You sure you don’t mind?”
Kalissa looked at Ayden, who gave her a smile and a short nod, and said, “Not at all.”
“Well, then, it’s settled,” Khloe said and hopped off her barstool. “Let’s go into the living room where it’s more comfortable. Willow, can you fix some tea?”
“Khloe, she’s not a servant.”
Willow waved off Kalissa’s protest to her sister’s request. “I’d be happy to make tea for everyone.”
“I love her tea,” Khloe said. “Plus, she enjoys being helpful.”
Kalissa released a sigh. “I know. I just don’t think she needs to wait on us.” She realized Willow might be lonely on the mountain by herself. Something she hadn’t considered before.
Once everyone had taken a seat in the living room, Zach directed a question to Melaina. “Does the name Hector Grayson mean anything to you?”
A dark look passed over Melaina’s face. She quickly composed her expression and asked, “What do you want to know?”
“We know he was Khan’s General and in charge of harvesting the Divinities’ powers with the Sinew.” Zach pulled out his notepad and thumbed through the pages. “And that Hecate killed him when she took the Sinew back.”
“I’m afraid that’s pretty much all I know, too. He did have a son. His name was Demetrius…”
“And he has fallen into his father’s footsteps, taking the position as Khan’s General,” Ayden finished Melaina’s statement. “So he’s responsible for the recent Divinity killings?”
Melaina nodded. “I’m afraid so. I’ve managed to escape his notice, but my coming here may have put all of us in danger.” She took a deep breath and continued before anyone could comment. “Demetrius is out for revenge, retribution for his father�
�s death. Khan wants payback for being cast out by his own people.”
“What do you mean ‘his own people?’” Kalissa asked. “I thought he was a warlock.”
“He is. Well, at least according to the label placed on him by his mother’s coven. He was born half witch, and lived inside a coven until his mother died from an illness. The Elders found out he was also half demon, so they sent him to the warlock camp. They said he was too dark to be trusted.” Melaina shook her head in disgust. Kalissa could tell she didn’t agree with the treatment of the young Khan.
“I’ve always wondered if things would have been different had Khan been raised with the spiritual love of his coven instead of being cast aside like an unwanted animal. Khan’s father, the former Lord of the Underworld, was a fair ruler. As dark and sadistic as he was, he believed in the balance of the three worlds. He would never have tried to merge them like Khan plans to do.”
Melaina looked at the young Divinity faces sitting around her. “Khan is a Dark Divine.”
Now the Dark Divine round-up made sense to her. Kalissa told Melaina about the message Zach had gotten from Sindee. “Do you think he is gathering the Dark Divines as part of his army? Like they’re his to command the same as the demons?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure. He might not have known about them. None of us knew about them until recently.” Melaina paused briefly as if thinking about it. “I can’t see any reason why other than forcing them to fight in the war.”
Kalissa snuggled back into Ayden’s side. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Right now, we have to get the Sinew and take it home.” She wondered if the others would help her chain Ayden up somewhere until after they’d gotten the Sinew. But she knew that wouldn’t happen. She would have to face her vision and keep her senses open. They all had to. Or someone may not leave that cave alive.
Chapter 16
Ayden took Kalissa’s hand and tugged her toward the French doors. She’d noticed his mood change. He wasn’t happy about something. Stopping before the doors, he turned to her with an intense stare. She suddenly felt like a wall had gone up.
“What’s wrong?”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“Don’t play innocent with me. You were almost taken!”
Kalissa winched at his harsh tone. “It was no big deal. I’m here. Everything worked out.” She crossed her arms. “Who told you?”
“No one.” He looked out the back doors.
“You picked through my head?”
He turned back to her and shook his head. “Not you.”
“That’s an invasion of privacy.”
“I was concerned. When Khloe purposely evaded me, I knew something had happened.” He reached out to her. She shrank back involuntarily. She couldn’t stop herself. He was angry. Old unwarranted fear rose in her.
He looked at her inquisitively. “I wasn’t going to hurt you.”
“I know,” she whispered, taking a step back.
He moved too fast for her to react and wrapped his arms around her. “I would never harm you.” His tone was soft, caring.
She knew that, but the only experience she’d had with men was Liam. That she remembered anyway. When he got angry, he got forceful and demanding. Ayden was being possessive, and he was upset. So she’d reacted out of reflex; the result of a bad relationship that still haunted her to this day.
A light summer breeze flowed across her arms. Ayden guided her outside, shutting the doors behind them. His fingers slid under her chin, and he lifted her face. She peered into his blue eyes and then he pressed his lips to hers in a soft, quick kiss.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
“Shh. No, I’m sorry. Jacen’s telepathic.”
She looked into his eyes. “Yeah, I know.”
Ayden pulled her tighter against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’ve never seen someone who can’t shut out the voices before. It’s intense.”
“Is it that bad?” She thought back to when Jacen had read her thoughts in The Wheel’s parking lot. It was rude to just pry into one’s head, but if he couldn’t shut out the voices… He hadn’t been inside her head, she realized.
“I don’t know how he deals with it. It’s non-stop, like a constant chatter.” Ayden gave a slight shudder.
It was a wonder that Jacen hadn’t gone insane. “Did you notice that Lydia and Jacen are bond siblings? Do you think Angelica bound them to help with the voices?”
“It’s possible. But I don’t think it’s working with Lydia’s pregnancy.”
Kalissa agreed. Magickin fetuses used a lot of energy to grow and develop. Lydia would be unable to aid her brother in shielding his telepathic ability while she was pregnant.
“Come on. Let’s go inside before we’re missed.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers once more.
She moaned and pulled him tightly to her. “Let’s go inside and be missed.”
With a devilish smile, he gave her another quick kiss and then led her back into the cabin.
It was two in the afternoon before they’d gotten set to go to the cave. Melaina agreed with Kalissa about her theory that the Sinew was inside. She said it sounded like her mother to place it there. As for the retrievers, Mel had a hunch that it could be a set of Hecate’s hounds—the Goddess’s animal to call. That meant the hellhounds, as well as all others related to the canine family. It was just one more thing for Kalissa to worry about.
They’d gone over everything multiple times, including the dream-vision that Kalissa had had two nights ago. She hadn’t had a vision since, but she did have memory flashbacks. Bits and pieces of her stolen past were coming back to her. It might be the spell weakening. Melaina had suggested that the spell might wear itself as she spent more time with Ayden. And the closer she got to him, the harder it became to go to that cave. Nervousness made her jumpy.
Ayden came over to where she stood on the front porch, looking out into the quiet, still forest. He placed his hand on her shoulder. She flinched but leaned back into him. “I’ll be on full alert. I don’t plan to leave now. We are immortal, remember.”
Kalissa breathed in deeply and released the breath slowly. “Yes, I remember.”
“And the vision didn’t tell you who was shot.” He kissed her cheek.
“I know.” She took in another deep breath. This time, it was to draw strength from her element, the air around her. She silently said a prayer and asked the elemental spirits to watch over them.
The others joined Kalissa and Ayden on the porch.
“Ready?” Khloe asked. Kalissa nodded, and together, they stepped off the porch into the forest, walking down the path toward the cave.
When they came to the end of the path, nothing but a solid wall of rock stood in front of them. “It was right here. You can’t move a cave,” Kalissa said, pointing at the wall.
“Whoa, do you feel that?” Khloe asked, stepping up to stand next to Kalissa.
“That’s the Sinew you feel,” Mel replied with a soft laugh. “The cave is here, it’s just hidden.”
“It must be the spell. It’s an illusion spell, hiding the cave from sight.” Now that Kalissa focused, she could also sense it. The memory spell she was under must have placed the events of her dream-vision out of order. Or, like Ayden had said, visions were suggestions of what could happen. They could be changed.
The snap of a twig brought Kalissa’s head up. About a dozen demons stepped out of the tree line in a semi-circle in front of them. These demons were more powerful than the Lackeys they’d fought that morning, yet they weren’t as strong as the Regals—highly ranked, powerful demons that served as the ruler’s personal guards. The creatures that faced them now where Amiddians, the middle-class demons.
A demon charged Kalissa. She charged back, lowered her shoulder, and ran into him like a linebacker. She was quite surprised that she was able to knock the wind out of h
im. He fell backwards, landing on his ass. He rolled away from her and stood up. She fell into a crouch. Charging back at her, he managed to get a hit on her that knocked her backwards. Groaning from the pain in her hip as she landed hard, she pushed away the agony and shocked the demon with an energy bolt to get him to back off. As he stumbled back several steps, she conjured a sword. When he came back at her again, she was ready. With one swoop, she swung the sword at the demon. His head fell to the ground and rolled as his body sagged in a heap on the forest floor.
“Duck!”
Kalissa didn’t ask why. She just hit the ground at Jacen’s outburst. When she did, a fireball came whirling over her head and hit the chest of a demon who had come up behind her. The demon let out a pained screech before dissolving into a pile of ash.
Damn, she scolded herself. She had to pay better attention.
Jace appeared over her and offered her a hand up. She took it, and he pulled her to a stand. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.” She looked over at Ayden, who had just finished off the demon he fought. Fear coursed through her as another demon came out of the tree line. He fixed a stare on Ayden, raising his hands. “No!” she screamed and ran toward Ayden. Glancing back at the newcomer, she saw him raising energy for a deadly blast. In slow motion, she watched helplessly as the demon released the energy bolt at Ayden.
She screamed again, fell to her knees, and covered her eyes with her hands. Then, Lydia cried out. Kalissa raised her head to see Ayden, alive, kneeling on the ground next to Jacen’s convulsing form.
Oh, no, she thought. Her eyes filled with tears, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. She got up to go to them.
On her knees next to Lydia, who sobbed uncontrollably over her brother’s body, Kalissa felt completely helpless. She was relieved that Ayden was alive, grateful for Jacen’s sacrifice, but saddened by Lydia’s loss. She didn’t know what to do, so she wrapped an arm around the sobbing witch, drawing her in for comfort. Her heart ached, and tears fell down her cheeks. Jacen’s labored breaths said his chances weren’t good and that he may not live through the night. The energy ball had been a deathblow, meant for Ayden. Why had Jacen stepped in front of it?
