by CC Solomon
“But-” Phillip started.
“It cannot happen,” Mae screamed.
The apartment walls shook, causing the artwork to hang off center and a few books to fall from the bookshelf and onto the dark hardwood floor.
What in the hell?
Had Mae done that?
I didn’t even realize she had that kind of power.
“Mae, honey,” Bill began again. “You need to calm down. You’re making yourself upset, and it’s not good for your blood pressure.”
“These children aren’t good for my blood pressure.”
“We heard you, Mae,” I inserted calm in my voice. “I agree with you. We need to fight. But we just wanted to consider all options.” I looked around the room. “You all don’t have to stay. I was just filling you in on the latest update. We won’t make any decisions without talking first.”
Slowly, the group started to exit with mumbles of concern and disapproval.
Mae and Bill remained behind. The older woman held an agitated look on her face. What had she foreseen that caused her such angst? How had her psychic powers allowed her to telepathically cause a room to shake? A lump of uncertainty sat in my throat as I struggled to swallow. Something was very wrong.
Felix remained as well, but I suspected it was only to finish eating the apple pie Mae made.
“Ahmed,” Mae called.
The djinni, who was mid teleportation, came back into view. “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, hands clasped together.
“You were very quiet earlier. Do you think mixing with the original soulmates is a good option?” Mae wiped a cloth napkin around her hairline, her forehead damp with sweat. I looked over to Bill, who was standing beside her, looking down at her with concern.
Mae looked exhausted. Shadows rested under her eyes and there was more gray in her hair that I hadn’t noticed before. Her skin took on an almost ashen tone. I wondered if she was sick. If she was, Bill was the best person to help her. If he couldn’t, then her emotional state was even more of a concern than I first thought.
Ahmed gave a thoughtful sigh. “I don’t think Phillip and Amina will be able to tame them. Gedeyon would have you believe their motives are altruistic. That they were wronged by humans and angels who were jealous of them. That is not my understanding of what happened, according to my elders.”
“Or Azrael,” Felix said from the couch. The giant man pushed his legs out under the table, a small dish filled with a half-eaten slice of pie sat on his wide chest. “They keep chattering in my head. They’re upset. Guess Gedeyon pissed them off with that tale he told you, Mina.”
We couldn’t confirm the voice in Felix’s head was an angel, man, or woman, but we were all comfortable that he was talking to someone who gave him power. I’d seen Azrael possess Felix. He was downright creepy.
“Azrael said the angels had to step in because the soulmates were destructive. He said this is why soulmates shouldn’t stay together too long. If they do, bad things happen. Gedeyon and Rima started off good. They did a lot for humanity. They agree with Gedeyon on that. But then they started to change. They became arrogant and cruel. They siphoned powers from the weaker paranormals, and they oppressed humans. And like you said, they killed any new generation of soulmates. Even ones that hadn’t met yet. If one of their witches found the location of the soulmates, they killed them. Sometimes the witches were wrong about who they thought were soulmates, so more innocent people than Gedeyon told you died. The youngest pair was only ten.”
“That monster,” I whispered.
“If you fight them,” Ahmed spoke up, “They won’t just kill you and your friends, they will torture you. This is a new world. They will need to make an example out of you to make others fear them. To make a name for themselves. Magical torture is another level of horror that you could not imagine.” He frowned as if reliving a memory.
I didn’t want to imagine the type of pain they or any magical being could inflict. With our life spans and ability to heal, torture could go on, nonstop, for years.
“They were worse than Phillip?” Felix asked before taking another bite of pie.
Ahmed turned to him. “Phillip did nothing compared to what they would do.”
“He tore someone’s tongue out,” Erik said, standing beside me. He raised his eyebrows high enough to show several creases in his forehead.
“An elder in the djinn realm told me that Rima flayed someone alive, regrew their skin back, and flayed them again. And again. And again. Gedeyon tore the teeth out of a vampire and forced him to drink hot lava. Then took the vampire’s organs out, ate them while in hyena form, and watched the vampire starve to death.”
I heard a clang of a fork against a dish and turned to Felix, who put his plate of unfinished pie on the coffee table. “Dude,” he grumbled. “You could have saved that story for after I finished eating.”
“They could do something like that to us. To Brandon,” I said in a soft, horrified voice.
“They don’t have a soft spot for kids. So, everyone’s fair game to have their insides removed.”
Mae began to fan herself with her hand.
“I’m sorry ma’am for the unfortunate description. I didn’t need to be so graphic,” Ahmed replied, a look of apology on his face.
“No honey, it’s not you. I haven’t been feeling well lately,” she replied, leaning onto the table.
“Is there anything I can do?” I asked.
Bill gave a frustrated sigh. “I’ve tried everything.”
“It’s not…” I trailed off, not wanting to put her personal business out there.
“Menopause?” Mae shook her head. “I wish it was. No, I suspect, I’ve caught the reversion illness.” She said it as if announcing she caught a cold.
“No,” I shook my head swiftly. “I thought it made you go dark and primal. You look like maybe you just have the flu.” Also, I refused to believe Mae was a drug user, magical or otherwise. She didn’t even drink alcohol or smoke. If she had this new paranormal sickness, then it wasn’t a side effect of the magical drug that was out.
“It shows up differently in everyone. My body is trying to fight it. Phillip came by the other day and put a healing spell on me. It didn’t work, but it did slow the progression down. I don’t know for how long though. I was having some very dark thoughts. My mind doesn’t seem so stable. I’m afraid I’m not as reliable as I once was. I can’t trust everything I’m foreseeing.”
I felt on the verge of tears. I had ups and downs with Mae, but she was the closest thing to a mother I had around. Why had Phillip kept this from me? He was her godson, and he had the right, but it still pissed me off.
“Don’t get mad with Phillip,” Mae replied, reading my mind or my face. She gave me a sad smile seeming to have accepted her fate. “I told him not to tell anyone. In this climate, people don’t need to know, and I don’t want to worry the others, so I trust you all will keep this a secret. I don’t know how much time I have. We don’t know how the virus is spreading or how to stop it. I need you all to focus on preparing for the first soulmates and not on me. I’m going to go away for a while, but you’ll still be able to reach me.”
“But why are you leaving?” I asked, surprising myself by how choked up I was becoming.
“It’ll be safer that way. Bill will be with me, so I won’t be alone.”
“Will Seth let you go?” Felix asked, slumping down in his seat.
“We won’t be telling him,” Bill replied, a determined expression on his face. “I’ve got a good team of med mages and Carter, who can keep things running.”
“When are you going?” Erik asked.
“Tonight,” Mae replied.
She wasn’t even going to say goodbye to the others. She was just going to disappear into the night.
“So, this is the last dessert I’ll have from you?” Felix asked sadly. He hung his head low, staring at the pie.
I rolled my eyes. “Really?”
Mae chuckled.
“For now, honey. But I know you like to cook, so how about I give you my recipe book. Will that tide you over?”
Felix’s eyes widened. “Yes, ma’am.”
Mae gave him a nod and stood up. “I’m going to miss you all. I have all the faith you will win this fight. You have all the knowledge you need now. You just must stay strong and stay together. Felix, you watch over everyone like you normally do. Just try not to impale anyone.”
Felix hung his head again and gave a sheepish nod. “I’ll try,” he whispered. How Felix could be both physically imposing and childlike in one was still amazing to me.
Mae walked over to Erik and I. Looking to Erik first, she reached up and touched his cheek. “Erik, you are a good man. I am happy for the both of you and the connection and love you have for each other and others. You can’t do it alone, remember that.”
Erik’s normally scowling face softened, and he gave Mae a single nod.
Mae turned to me and opened her arms. “This isn’t the end. I may not have foreseen it, but I have full faith that there will be a cure for this illness. And I hope to be around to see it.”
I gave her a tight hug. “I don’t want you to go. Phillip and I can heal you together. Like we were going to do for Ella. I thought the sickness was drug related, but clearly, it’s not.”
“No, honey, I don’t do drugs. However, it doesn’t mean I wasn’t drugged,” she looked away, seeming to ponder that for a moment.
“Who would do that?”
“Seth probably,” Felix mumbled.
“You think he would do that because you’ve been siding with us?” I asked Mae.
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Erik stated.
“Well then, maybe it’s a good thing that you’re leaving. You can flush your system. If you get better, then it’s a good chance this is all drug related.”
Mae nodded. “We’ll see. If I have any visions or garner information through my psychic network, I’ll let you know. I’ll also keep an ear to the ground for Ella. We all know she’s been in a bad way since her husband died, but she never neglected her child.”
“Thanks for helping. I wouldn’t be surprised if Seth has her locked up somewhere.”
Mae pointed at me. “Don’t do anything rash just yet with regard to that situation.”
I scoffed. “A woman is missing. If we don’t find her in the next day or two, I’m going to do something very rash. However, you don’t need to worry about that,” I quickly said, seeing the worried look in her eyes. “Phillip and I will come by and at least attempt to cure you.” I shook my head. “What are we going to do without you?”
“Continue what you are doing. You hold tight to all the people that you love. And stop doubting yourself. Just because you don’t have the finesse yet, like Phillip, doesn’t mean you won’t come through when it counts. Don’t let the original soulmates get in your head. They want you to fear them. They want you to think you can’t win. It’s easier for them not to fight you because there are no assurances that they will win. Remember that, and never count yourself out.”
I nodded my head. Mae always knew what words to say to stir me. However, she would never tell us exactly what her premonitions meant. She believed that might have the opposite effect on having the foresight come true.
Of course, then it made me that much more paranoid about what her words meant. She was giving me a hint, and I had to acknowledge it. Joining with the first soulmates could end the world as we knew it. Then, of course, if she was sick, could I trust her opinion anymore? I needed to believe her because, honestly, I was feeling lost.
Chapter 17
The full moon came, and I did not change into a wolf, and so far, I was still illness free.
However, three days in and Ella was still missing. Which was why I found myself pounding on Seth’s door again. I didn’t invite Erik this time. He would be appropriately pissed, but he was Seth’s third in command, and it would put him in a very awkward position to question him. Sure, I was an honorary pack member, but I didn’t really consider myself part of the pack. And I wasn’t scared of Seth.
However, as back up, I brought Felix with me. He stood behind me like a human wall as the door opened. This time, Seth answered. How kind of him to not have his servant wives do all the work all the time.
He raised his eyebrows at us. “To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?” he asked, waving us in.
“We’re here to question you about Ella,” I said, walking in with Felix.
Seth closed the door behind us. “I thought one of my women already told you she left the day after her visit.”
“Yeah, well, you all are the last to have seen her. She didn’t even go home.”
Seth frowned. “Yes, I heard. But you know I knew she was on drugs. I tried to help her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. It’s a real shame.”
“A real shame? A woman from your pack is missing. A widow whose husband died fighting in your barbaric challenge, and all you can say is ‘it’s a real shame’?” This guy was a monster.
Seth crossed his arms and leaned towards me with a smug smile on his face. “We’re looking for her. In fact, isn’t it your mate who is heading up the investigation?”
Yes, Erik was still searching for her, but he wasn’t having any luck, especially because Seth controlled everything in town. If someone was going to be hidden, he’d make that happen. And in my infinite wisdom, I thought I could get to Seth easier than Erik could. Clearly, I was delusional, but you couldn’t blame a girl for trying.
“I’m just helping him out as a private eye,” I replied, giving him my sweetest smile.
Seth narrowed his eyes. “You’re a brave one, that’s why I’ve always liked you, but you don’t know your place. In this pack or this town.”
“And what place would that be?” Felix asked, looking down at Seth with bored eyes.
Seth didn’t take his eyes off me. “As a silent member in this town. No need to keep rocking the boat. Now, you got some points for helping Brandon, but that won’t get you that far.”
While Seth rambled on, I did what I intended to do and mentally recited an eavesdropping spell into his apartment. It was unfortunate I couldn’t get to his other place, but one was better than none. Now I could listen in on any of his conversations at any time.
“Are you listening to me?” Seth barked.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the top dog in town. I get it,” I nodded my head and gave him a blank look.
For some reason, this angered him, and he forcefully grabbed my chin. Felix reached out, but I stopped him with a raised hand. I lifted an eyebrow at Seth but didn’t respond as he dug his nails into my skin. He was an alpha, but I was no beta, and I wouldn’t show fear, even if he drew a little blood. He couldn’t believe he had power over me.
“You’d be wise to stop being such a smart ass. Just because you’re a soulmate doesn’t make you all-powerful.”
“And I could say the same thing about you being the leader of a town.” I tried not to wince as his nails further dug in, sure there would be blood.
He gave me a sneer. “You know, maybe Ella went to the same place that Blake did. It’s scary, all these people taking off. You don’t know who else might want to defect. Charles, Faith, Lisa? Scary stuff, indeed.” He let go of my chin.
I rubbed it and then looked down at my bloody hand. I looked up at him, trying my best to contain the rage brewing inside of me.
He stared back at me expectantly, clearly not concerned about how I might react to his abuse of my chin. “Run along, the both of you, before I change my mind on how I deal with disrespectful people.”
We left silently. I was livid. Seth thought he was invincible. I would prove him wrong.
That Saturday, a week after the Seth visit, I went to Hagerstown to train with Shayla and spend time with Chelsea. After a couple of hours of practicing offensive magic, we relaxed in Shayla’s living room inside a small two-bedroom townhouse that she shared with Henry.
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br /> Outside of training, visiting various places to heal and gain supporters, I listened in on Seth. When I wasn’t free, another member of The Six would listen in. I opened the spell in my apartment, so it was a nonstop audio of Seth’s apartment. If someone else came by, Charles or I would end the spell to shut off the sound. Then we’d start it up again, hoping we didn’t miss anything relevant. We listened in shifts and, after several days, still produced nothing new on Seth other than conversations here and there with random women, not all being his wives.
One thing was clear, if Ella was still in there, she wasn’t talking. Was it possible she had run off? It wouldn’t be impossible but those who knew her found it highly unlikely she would leave Brandon.
“How’s Mae?” Shayla asked, interrupting my thoughts.
I gave a heavy sigh. “The same. Even with Phillip and I joining forces, she wasn’t cured. I’m hoping it really is that she was drugged, and it just takes a while to leave her system.”
Shayla blew out a breath. “That’s one strong magical drug if that’s true.”
“I know. Whoever is behind making this shit is going to wish they were dead when I get a hold of them.”
“Okay Rambo, where did this new Amina come from?” Shayla cracked, sitting back on her couch.
I chuckled. “I’m just Amina. Same great taste, but less calories. No, seriously, I’m just trying to toughen up. When my brother left me the first time, and then me being banished, well, I realized I can’t live my life depending on others being there and that things will always work out for me. And the only person I can really trust is myself. It took a while for me to get there because I really wanted to hold out on faith, but people are assholes. I can’t trust anyone.” I looked sideways at Shayla. “Well, I guess I can trust some people.”
She smiled at me. “I think that’s the smart way to be, as sad as it is. When I first met Henry, I punched him because I could see he was a vampire, and I didn’t want him attacking me.”
