by Tamara White
“Man, now you’ve done it. I’ve never seen him take a hit like that. You’ve pissed him off now.
We’re going to have to work together to beat him and Spencer. Together, they’re extremely powerful. Maybe together you and I will be just as powerful.”
Zeke’s whispering to me and sneaking glances at Raphael and Spencer. Spencer looks like he’s trying to reason with Raphael but it’s not working. Raphael looks too irritated to listen to reason.
“Ok boys, we’ll be attacking and you’ll be defending from our attack. Let’s see if you’re strong enough to protect Evie,” Raphael says, while Spencer keeps glancing at him. He’s obviously worried, but maybe we need this? We both have a lot of built up frustration to work out. Besides, how else will we know if we’re strong enough to protect her?
Spencer startles us by attacking first, throwing fire at us. Zeke and I dodge him and go on the offensive. I throw water dousing him, while Zeke uses the earth to grow a wall of dirt around him.
Raphael smiles once Spencer has been immobilized, and takes a step toward me throwing Zeke back with a flick of his hand. I’m left facing Raphael. I pull as much power as I can and throw it at him but it barely stops him. How can I be so weak? I helped when Evie needed me.
Wait, Evie. Of course.
I focus on the pain I felt being stabbed, knowing I had failed Evie, and feel the power build inside me. Raphael thinks I’m too weak to protect Evie, well, he’s wrong. I can protect her, I know I can. The power has built to an incomprehensible level, and I feel as if nothing can stop me.
Raphael’s watching me and summons a sword. That’s it, I let all the power flow from my body causing a massive explosion of light.
When the light clears Spencer and Raphael are passed out on the ground, while Zeke stands there shocked.
“Wow! Only pure angels can do that.”
I turn to Zeke confused by the pure angel comment, when the Creator pops into the spot next to Zeke.
“Well done, Dane. I think you’re ready to go back now. Once you wake up, the others will join you and help get your bonded back,” he says as if he has been here the whole time.
“What about Raphael and Spencer?” I ask, worried I could have caused more damage than I meant to.
“Oh don’t worry about them. They’ll be awake any minute now. There is something I want to tell you before you leave though. I’ve already told Raphael in case it needs to happen, I’m hoping it won’t and you get Evie back without resorting to it, but it’s best you know, just in case,” he says before whispering in my ear, while Zeke stares at me.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing but I know if it comes down to it, I’ll do what it takes to make sure Evie is safe.
Chapter 5
Teddy
We’ve been planning for the past few hours. I feel as if we’re at a dead end. Dad doesn’t want us to leave them behind but there’s no way we can rely on them for this. Evie is our responsibility, and we, as her bonded, need to be the ones to bring her back.
Knowing Ky is staying behind, puts a lot of the pressure on Mike and I to make sure we bring Evie back safely. If we don’t, there’s going to be hell to pay when Dane wakes up. It should be all of us going to her, but until Dane wakes up from whatever coma he’s in, we can’t risk leaving him without one of us.
Dane’s father is still droning on in the background, and that brings me back to the reason why we’re here. To get it through their thick skulls that now is not the time for a meeting of our people.
“I still say we hold a meeting and let everyone know. They deserve to know you and Evelyn will be taking over soon,” William tells us.
We’ve all been in William’s room with Dane while we discuss strategies, and we keep coming back to this. Our fathers want us to face our community, and tell them that we will be taking over when we have Evie back.
I think it’s a bad idea, but Mike and Ky seem to think it will be the stepping stone for Evie and us to take over. I knew one day we’d be on the council, but it just feels too soon to take leadership. Especially with everything that’s happening.
“I agree, you need to pave the way for when Evie comes back. Her pregnancy is progressing extremely quickly, so who’s to say her children won’t grow just as fast? What happens then if you delay it, and by the time you’re ready, no one is ready for it? You need to pave the way for your future, and your children’s future now, before it’s too late.”
Damn my dad and his ideals. First, they didn’t want us taking control and now they’re all too happy to let us take over. I wish they’d make up their god damn minds. I understand what he’s saying but this isn’t the time.
“Look, can we discuss this later?”
I look to Mike and Ky, hoping one of them will back me up, but they both avoid eye contact. Do they really want this sorted out now? We’re wasting time!
“Teddy, I know you don’t like us talking about this, but I think your dad’s right. Do we really want to bring Evie back here when she could be exposed to more danger? If we had told everyone about Evie before she was taken, then maybe we could have had more people protecting the property.
If we tell them now, it gives them a chance to adjust to the news before we bring her back. Then, once she’s up to it, we can introduce her to the rest of the community. Besides, it would be nice to let Evie meet the rest of our families,” Ky faces me as he speaks.
Mike, on the other hand, is refusing to look at me, and I’m close to the breaking point. We’re all on edge, and this isn’t helping any of us. We should be on the same page rather than fighting between each other.
“Fine!” I turn to my dad, “Summon everyone that’s close, and tell them to be here in an hour. The rest can find out through the grapevine. I’m not waiting any longer to go get Evie,” I add before stalking over to Dane’s side. I need to sit down and think about a way to handle this.
Evie needs to be seen as a saviour, not as an imposter. We’ll need to make sure that her helping us lead is seen as voluntary from the council and not forced. If we don’t they could all turn against us.
I just hope Evie is ready for this.
Mike
Watching Teddy storm over to Dane’s side, I feel bad. I should have sided with him, but I feel we need Evie to take over sooner, rather than later, to avoid discontent in our community. If our children are destined to lead, we want to be prepared for that. I’ve been having flashes of Evie cuddling children that look 4 years old but, the thing is, I’m not powerful enough to see visions that far into the future. That means once the babies are born, they may grow faster than we expected.
Even as elementals, we grow faster than humans, but we don’t grow enough to rouse suspicion so we can easily blend into the human world. It looks like our children may grow exceptionally faster and, if that’s possible, we may not be able to allow them to be in the human world. Especially if they will look that old in under a year.
My hope is that once we get Evie back, we will introduce her to the rest of our world, and let them see that she’s better for us than the council. We’ll also need to prepare everyone for the eventual scenario of humans knowing about us. It’s going to be extremely hard for them to adjust to knowing that one day we will coexist with the humans, but it’s for the best.
Just the thought of one day being able to use my powers without worrying, sends a blast of happiness through me. Some days it sucks remaining hidden from the world.
“You guys go organize everyone. Mike and I should stay here and have a talk with Teddy.”
Ky’s pretty much dismissing our parents, but what do we do about William? I’m about to ask when he walks straight out of the door after our fathers.
“How did he do that?” I ask Ky, shocked.
I thought the barrier was supposed to keep him in? Unless something changed?
“I’m guessing he realized the futility of hurting Evie. Seeing Dane hurt so bad could have made him realize he might lose Dane
forever if Evie gets hurt. Who knows?” he shrugs.
We’re both silent, pondering what it means that William was able to leave, when Teddy speaks “What if this puts a big target on her back?”
Ky sighs, and we join him sitting by Dane’s bed.
“No matter what we do, Evie already has a target on her. She’s bonded to all four of us, which is reason enough to go after her, but she’s carrying the children destined to lead us, and to expose our race to the humans. Telling all elementals about her now, will help us figure out who we can, and cannot, trust. We need them to accept her before the babies are born. If they don’t know about her or the babies before they’re born, it could lead them to reject her.”
“Ky’s right,” Dane gasps.
Kylan
After I explain my reasoning to Teddy, I hope he accepts what we’re saying and comes to terms with what we’ll have to do. I know it isn’t easy, but we need to make sure that things go smoothly for us and Evie.
The last thing I want is for us to get Evie back, introduce her to the community, and have everyone be angry that we held something back for so long. With the council stepping down, and us taking over, the pressure for us to exceed their rule is enormous. We need to show them that Evie will be the one to defeat the demons. I just wish Dane was here to help guide us.
As if my wish alone summons him, he gasps agreeing with what I’ve said.
“Whoa, take it easy there,” Teddy says, helping Dane sit up. He tries standing up, but starts to sway before falling again. Teddy and I reach out and help him sit back on the bed.
“Stay here, I’ll grab you some water,” I say, getting a cup from the bathroom.
“Dude, how are you feeling? You’ve been unconscious for hours. Your dad healed you,” Teddy says filling him in when I feel a draft of air.
“Actually, that’s not true,” a man says appearing from thin air.
All of us immediately go on the defensive.
“Guys, stop! It’s my dad!”
Dane pushes us aside just as Raphael and another person pop out of nowhere next to the man. Dane shakes all of their hands looking relieved, and embraces the man that popped in with Raphael.
He’s as tall as Mike, with sun kissed skin and dreadlocks covering his hair. There’s something different about him. His eyes look as if he’s seen the world and hates it.
“Thank god. I just woke up. I wasn’t sure if you two were going to be knocked out for long or not. The creator said you were fine, but you were both passed out when I was sent back. One minute the Creator was whispering in my ear, the next I was listening to these guys arguing.”
He pauses to look at us and we are all feeling a little ashamed over our petty fighting when we should be united.
“Zeke, I’d like to introduce you to Evie’s other bonded. This is Mike, Teddy, and this is Ky,” Dane says gesturing to each of us.
“Guys, this is Zeke. He was helping Max, and he helped take Evie, but he’s her bonded too. He’s here to help us get Evie back and stop Max.”
He’s another bonded? How many more will there be? And did he just say the Creator? As in “The” Creator?!
Dane
When I wake up, I hear arguing in the background and focus on what they’re saying. They’re talking about telling everyone about Evie, and I know it’s the right choice. Letting Evie take over for the council now is better for us in the long run.
After explaining who the new guys are, the guys all settle back down. When Spencer appeared, they all went on alert trying to protect me, which was nice of them but totally unnecessary.
“So how did you meet your dad and Zeke? And where have you been, Raphael? We thought you were gone forever,” Teddy stares between each of us as he talks.
“When I was stabbed, I thought that was it. I was dead and wouldn’t get to see any of you again. The Creator brought my spirit to another plane, or something, and told me about my mum and dad, and how they met. He also filled me in on some things that I needed to know to get Evie back safe. There’s also something else. Spencer isn’t a fallen angel, he’s an angel. That makes me part angel.”
I wait a moment for the guys to process the news before continuing on. I’m still wrapping my head around it, but the least I can do is give them a few minutes.
“I’ve been there for about a day or so. Though it may be different here because apparently, time doesn’t run the same. Anyway, I’ve been there learning to control my powers.
Zeke, Spencer, and Raphael are here to help us get Evie back unharmed. I’m assuming since she’s not here, that you haven’t rescued her yet, which is good because you would need us.
According to Zeke, Max has barriers set up around the cabin that won’t let us in individually. Evie shouldn’t have been able to use her powers but she’s a lot stronger than anyone they’ve come across. So, Zeke’s hoping that the angel who made the barriers isn’t strong enough to keep her powers locked down. As for the barriers, they may keep her in, but we have no idea until we get there. We can, however, break the barriers together. The five of us, plus Spencer, and Raphael will be strong enough to break any barriers keeping them in the cabin.”
“You know, you all keep underestimating Evie’s strength. Have you asked her if she can get out of the barrier? She’s almost as strong as the Creator, so nothing should be holding her back,” Raphael says.
Raphael is looking between the others, but I don’t get it. How can they ask her? The bond! They mustn’t have blocked it.
‘Evie? Can you hear me?’
‘Dane! Oh my god! I thought I’d never talk to you again. What’s going on?’
My heart feels lighter hearing her voice. I can feel her worry for me bleeding through the bond.
‘Thank God, you’re ok. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop you from being taken.’
‘Oh, honey, you couldn’t have stopped them. They drugged us while we weren’t prepared for it. If it wasn’t my dad, we would have been more prepared. Are you ok?’
My sweet girl. She’s kidnapped by her father while she’s pregnant, and she’s still worrying about me.
‘I’m ok. I just woke up. My bio dad and Raphael are here to help us get you back. I also found someone else you might be interested in. Zeke. He’s your bonded too.’
‘What?! How could you find one of my bonded if I haven’t met them? And your bio dad? How did you find him?’
‘Well, don’t get angry, but Zeke helped take you and Christian. He didn’t know who you were to him then, and he’s making up for it by helping get you back. As for my dad, it’s a long story that I can tell you later. Can you leave the barrier? We want to see what we’re going to have to do when we get there.’
If I start telling her about my dad, I won’t stop. The last few days have been chaotic, and Evie has the tendency to get us telling her everything about how we feel.
For now, it’s best if I focus on the problems I can fix.
‘Oh. I haven’t tried yet, but I can use my powers, while Zach and Christian can’t. Even if I can, I’m not leaving them. So, you just have to hurry up and get here, and get all of us out of here.’
I don’t know how it’s possible, but she seems to have gotten feistier in the days since I saw her. Why is she so insistent on staying with them?
“Evie’s ok, but she won’t leave without Christian or Zach. She says she’s staying with them no matter what, but she is able to use her powers, while the others can’t,” I tell everyone.
Mike, Ky, and Teddy all groan at Evie’s stubbornness, but Zeke looks confused. He’ll find out soon enough what a pain it is trying to keep Evie safe.
‘Evie, we’ll be there soon, we’re just tying up loose ends here, and then we’ll be there. Just so you know, before we leave, we’re telling everyone about you. That means when you get home you may have to mingle to find out if any elementals are possessed.’
I know she’s going to hate being introduced to everyone, but we need to let everyone know that t
he council is no longer in charge. Now it’s up to us to lead.
‘I don’t know Dane. Will it be safe? If there are elementals that are possessed why would they show up? Wouldn’t they know I can send the demons back?’
‘Maybe, but we need to get everyone ready for us to take over anyway. Our children are the future and we need to prepare the way for them. This will help them get used to the idea of our children.’
‘OK, we’ll talk about it when you get here, just please be quick. Christian isn’t handling his wife too well.’
His wife? Isn’t she dead? What the hell did I miss?
“Ok, guys, let’s go tell everyone we’re taking over, then we’ll go get Evie. By the way, does anyone want to fill me in on Christian’s wife? Wasn’t she dead?”
“Yeah, man, according to Evie, Christian’s wife never died in the explosion. She’s been claiming that she’s bonded to Christian. I’m not sure what will happen there. I guess we’ll find out soon,” Teddy leads the way from the room as he explains.
“Wow. Ok, let’s get this done and go get our bonded back.”
We make our way out the back door of the house. None of us are speaking, mainly because we’re thinking about getting Evie back. I can feel the others’ excitement, and it ramps up my own. Once we get Evie back, we can find out about the babies. The others are probably just as excited, but it still feels more exciting for me. After failing to stop her from being taken, I only hope she forgives me for not doing more, and for not trusting her when she had dreams about having tea. She told us she felt something was going to happen and it did. None of us were able to stop it because we trusted Max. I won’t make the same mistake again.
Chapter 6
Zach
Something’s happening. Max and Josie have been outside arguing for the past 5 minutes while I watch from the window.
