Black Ruins Forest (The Elder Series Book 1)

by Karen DuBose

  “Yeah, it’s ok with me. I should have seen that all over you. You just hold my attention. You’re breathtaking in whatever you wear⸻including demon blood.”

  Did he really just say that? I burst out laughing. I can’t help myself. I think the shock is wearing off, and this deliriousness is the result. Please don’t let me be going crazy⸻not in front of him. I look over to him. He has a smile on his face.

  “I’m sorry. I think the shock is wearing off. I didn’t mean to laugh.”

  “It’s ok. I love your laugh. I love how it lights up your face.”

  I don’t know what to say to that, so I don’t say anything. I look out the window and notice we’re on my street already. I turn back to him and smile.

  “Would you like to start over? I mean hanging out. Tonight, was a mess and was interrupted. I mean, if you still want to.”

  “I would love that. How about tomorrow? I don’t think Bruno has all of his plan in action yet, so we might have a few days.”

  “I would like that a lot. I just hope I won’t regret his plan. I really don’t want to leave my loved ones in the hands of the elders. Galaxy only knows what they might do to them.”

  He pulls into my driveway and turns his blaster off. He gets out and comes around to my door. A girl could get used to this. He opens my door and gives me his hand to help me out. Once I’m out he doesn’t let my hand go. I look up to him and my breath is taken away. The look he’s giving me has me weak. He leans down and kisses me slowly. I’m stunned, and it takes me a minute to kiss him back. The kiss turns into passion within a split second. I’m so lost in that kiss. I feel like I’m on cloud nine. When he pulls away, I think I growl. I don’t want it to end. I hear him chuckle. I open my eyes, and I know I’m red.

  “That blush looks good on you. I’m glad I’m the one who put it there. I never heard a girl growl before. It’s kind of sexy.” The smile he is giving me makes me blush even more.

  I have never been so embarrassed before. I’m sure I’m ten shades of red. I cover my face with my hair. I can feel my ears burning. I’m ready to go inside now.

  “So, I’ll see you tomorrow then?” I don’t want him to leave, but I really need to return to my normal color.

  “Why are you embarrassed? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I loved that sound from you.”

  “Who says I’m embarrassed? I’m good. I just need to get inside. I’m sure my mom is freaking out. It’s way past midnight. I don’t want to keep her waiting any longer.”

  I hope I’ve pulled that off. I don’t know how to be myself around him. What if I say something stupid? I want him to like me⸻not run from me.

  “Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Do you want me to pick the place, or do you want the honors?”

  “You pick. I’m not picky. I just want to spend some time with you.” Boy did that sound corny. I just need to leave before I stick my foot in my mouth. How is it I can take on anyone in a fight, but when it comes to him, I trip all over myself or say stupid things?

  I’m not paying attention when, all of a sudden, I feel him kiss my cheek. All thoughts leave me, and I’m reel back to Zilo. Oh, to have those lips on mine again. Get a grip, you just started to talk to him. Now you want to shut him up by kissing him to death. What is wrong with me? I give him a quick kiss and turn to walk to my front door. I don’t want to look behind me, but my willpower decides to go on vacation. When I look over my shoulder, he’s watching me walk away. He has a goofy grin on his face. I wonder if that’s the look I was giving him when he was walking around to the driver’s side of the blaster?

  “Are you enjoying the view?” I ask, throwing his question back at him.

  “Yes, yes, I am. Very much so. What is there not to love?”

  Damn, I was hoping to get a blush out of him. I will figure out what will make him blush if it’s the last thing I do.

  “Have a good night, Kiernan. Have Sweet dreams,” I say, calling over my shoulder.

  I hear him chuckle. “I will have the best dreams a guy can have. Good night, Dariya. Dream of me.” With that, he gets into his blaster and pulls out of my drive. He’s a cocky ass. I give him that much.

  Chapter Seven

  “Where the hell have you been?” Kira asks.

  Her head pops out as she swings open the door to my house before I’m even all the way up the steps. I look at her and see the fear that’s there. I shouldn’t joke with her right now, but I can’t help myself.

  “Oh, you know, a hot guy asked me to go for a ride with him. He was quite the gentleman.”

  The look she gives me is murderous. If I so much as move, I’m sure she’ll kill me where I stand. I wish I could take back my comment, but it’s too late. I’m just in a good mood and had wanted to spread it. I’m hoping it won’t backfire on me.

  “Do you have any idea how worried sick I’ve been? Not knowing if you’re ok, where they took you, or if I was going to see you again. For all I know they threw you in jail, and no one was going to see you again, or they killed you and we would never know! And you want to joke right now?” she yells, and I flinch.

  Yep, I knew it wasn’t an appropriate time to joke, but with everything going on, I don’t even know where to begin or how I’m really feeling about all of it. There are so many feelings going on that I can’t grab on to one and say, ‘Yep, I feel this the most.’ They’re all equal, from joy all the way to downright terrified.

  “I’m sorry, Kira, I can’t even imagine what you came up with, but right now I’m trying to sort out everything that’s happened. Come on, let’s go inside. It’s not safe right now.”

  I walk into the house and hear my mom coming down the stairs. She has a worried look on her face. She must not have heard Kira yelling at me. She’s in a daze, like she’s waiting for unwelcome news. I remember that face. She had it when dad didn’t come home after the battle that claimed his life cycle.

  “Mom, are you alright?” I ask. What did they tell her at the headquarters?

  She looks up with surprise and comes rushing toward me. She holds onto me for dear life cycle, crying and mumbling things I can’t understand.

  “It’s ok, Mom, I’m here now, everything is going to be ok,” I say, rubbing her back, trying to reassure her that I’m here and ok.

  She pulls away a little bit to look at me. Tears are running down her face, and fear is etched on her beautiful face. What in the world did they tell her?

  “You are never leaving this house again. I thought I lost you.”

  She’s definitely in mom mode. I need to calm her down before she decides that she’ll never let me see the light of day again. I give her a hug and pull away so that she can see my face.

  “Mom, can you please calm down? We have a lot to talk about. Then you’ll be able to understand what happened. I promise you that nothing bad happened. I left my DC on one of the tables at the club. When I dialed the dragons hotline, I didn’t want anyone knowing I called, especially the demon. If she would have known, we would all be dead now. You know I would have called you, even demanded if that is what it took.

  Kira hands me my DC. How did she know it was me who called the dragons? I thought I had hidden that fact well. I’m glad she got it for me, though. Mom is already pissed. I don’t need her mad that I lost yet another one. I whisper my thank you to Kira, and she nods.

  I tell them about everything that has happened. My mom just sits there staring off into the distance. At this point, I don’t even know if she is even listening anymore. She doesn’t say a word, and she does not even look at me. I just told them that the dragons know I’m a seer. I still can’t even wrap my own mind around it. How are we going to keep this from the elders? Nessa has probably already spilled the beans to them.

  “How do they know you are a seer?” Kira asks.

  “Bruno said they’ve known since I was two. I have no idea who else knows or who even told Bruno. I didn’t get to ask that many questions. He said it wasn’t safe there to t
alk. I was lucky to get what I got out of him.”

  I look at my mom to make sure she’s ok. She looks at me with sad eyes. What isn’t she saying? I figured she would be packing us up right now. She’s just sitting here looking deflated.

  “There are things I need to tell you. I just don’t know where to start,” mom says

  She takes a deep breath before she begins. That’s never a good sign. Either she’s going to lecture me, or it’s really bad news.

  “Your father didn’t die in battle. Your father was killed by the elders. We refused to have another child. They knew your father’s bloodline carried the seer gene. They didn’t see the signs in you, even when they were visible to us. I prayed that they wouldn’t see them. I always called you my daydreamer, just so they wouldn’t think anything. You never told anyone about your daydreams, or visions, because I cast a spell on you. I hoped it would work. So far, it has—until now. Your father shared the secret with the only dragon he could trust, to keep us protected. There’s only one-way Bruno knows; he’s in the circle of dragons who want to take the elders down.”

  I look at my mom with shock and anger. All this time, I thought my dad had died in battle. What does she mean, she, ‘put a spell on me?’ Is she saying she’s a witch and not a bear? My whole life cycle, she’s been a bear. I’ve seen her change. Does she mean she had a spell cast on me? I’m so confused and hurt that she lied to me about my dad. I have to get out of here.

  I run to my room. I slam the door and throw myself on the bed, tears running down my face. So many questions are running through my head. How could she lie to me? Why didn’t she tell me sooner? Did she think I couldn’t handle the truth sooner? Why would she do this to me? She even knows that I’m a seer. All this time, I didn’t even know if I could tell her without putting her in danger. How can I trust her to tell me the truth anymore? Why would the elders have killed my father? They’re supposed to keep us safe. There’s a knock on the door. I ignore it. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now. I hear my mom calling my name through the door, but I don’t answer her back. The door opens slowly.

  “I know you’re angry and upset. I was trying to protect you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Please listen to what I have to say. If you still want to be mad at me, I’ll understand.”

  Like I have a choice. She’s going to tell me whether I want to listen or not. I sit up in my bed and wipe the tears from my eyes and cheeks.

  “What else do you have to say?”

  She sighs heavily. So many cycles of keeping this a secret has put a toll on her. How could she even live with this for so long and not talk about it?

  “I know you’re angry and upset. I wanted to tell you sooner. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you yet. I wanted you to be a youngling before I told you the news. I’m sure you hate me right now. All I ever wanted was for you to be a normal youngling, to look at life and embrace it. I didn’t want to burden you with any of this until you turned nineteen. Please understand—I only wanted you to have a normal life cycle.”

  How can I stay mad at her when she was only trying to protect me? I’m still hurt, but I understand why she did it. If I was her, I would want that for my child as well. Knowing too much as a youngling is like taking the world on when you don’t even know you have to.

  “I’m still hurt, Mom, but I understand why you did it. I love you. Please don’t keep anything from me again. I can handle the truth. I don’t want to be blindsided again. You ripped my heart open when you told me about the elders killing dad. It was like I lost him all over again.”

  She wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tight. I think she needs to know that I’m ok and whole. After her telling me what the elders did, I would be freaked out as well, not knowing if she was ok, if the roles were reversed.

  “I promise not to keep things from you anymore. But you have to realize what this cost me telling you. I miss your father so much some days I can barely breathe.”

  I hug her back just as hard. I look up and notice that Kira’s at the door. She is a saint sent down from the Source. I don’t know what I would do without her. Maybe she’s my guardian sent from the Source.

  “May I come in?”

  I get up from the bed and walk over to her. I hug her tight. I can tell she’s tense. Her body is shaking and rigid. I’m sure she has a lot to say. I mean, I would have been tearing this world apart to find her. I can only imagine what’s going on in her head. To lighten up the mood or to get her mind off of all of this, I need to get her to start planning. She’s always in her element when planning things or hacking into something.

  “We have plans to come up with. There is a lot we don’t know about the elders, but if we have a plan it might help.”

  She hugs me back so hard I think she is going to break a rib. “As much as I wish I didn’t know about the demon or anything else about the elders, things are just getting started. Where do you want to start?”

  I have no idea where to start. I don’t know enough to even come up with a plan. Do the elders know I’m a seer? Will they come and take me without anyone knowing? I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

  Kira decides to sleep over that night. We sit up most of the night talking and planning. We mostly talk about the demon, my dad, and the elders. I never did ask my mom if she was a witch or if she had a witch cast a spell on me. I will have to remember to ask her when she wakes up.

  “What do we need to plan?” she asks me when it’s close to five in the morning.

  “We need to figure out what Nessa is up to, like yesterday. She has something planned. I want to stop it before it happens. We need to be one step ahead of her. I had a vision of her talking to one of the elders. I don’t know what was said. I know he was mad, and she had some kind of device in her hand.”

  “I agree. Let me get my Pdat and see what I can find out. If your vision has already happened then we need to figure out a way to keep you safe.”

  “Have I said how much I love you?”

  “Awe. You haven’t, but I know you do. Now give me space so I can work,” she laughed.

  I get up to get us drinks and snacks. We’re going to need them. I walk downstairs and I see that the light in the kitchen is on. I wonder why Mom is awake? I walk into the kitchen. She’s sitting at the table looking at an old book.

  “What are you reading?”

  I think I just gave her a heart attack. She jumps out of her chair and screams. I have to cover my ears before she makes them bleed.

  “Holy hell, Dariya! You scared me to death.”

  “I can see that. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s ok. I was just looking at our family grimoire. I’m trying to find a spell that will keep your visions from the elders until you can control them.”

  “What do you mean, Mom? How can you have a grimoire? You’re a bear. You can’t be a bear and a witch. It’s unheard of, unless you used a spell to make yourself a bear.”

  “There are things I need to tell you, but right now, I need you to trust me. I have to make sure it’s safe before I say any more. Now come here so I can cast this spell on you.”

  “I don’t want my powers blocked. How can I learn to use them properly if I can’t use them at all?”

  “The spell will not block you from using them. It will keep people from knowing you’re a seer. It takes the aura away from you.”

  “Well, that’s ok I guess, but promise me this will not in any way stop me from getting to know how to use it.”

  “I promise. I’ll try and find one that has a blocking version.”

  I give her a nod and take a seat next to her. She starts chanting something I don’t understand. I can feel the power brushing against my skin. It feels like electricity, but like it’s massaging me instead of hurting me. It’s gone just as fast as it was there. That was the weirdest thing I have ever felt.

  Mom stands there looking at me, like she is studying something. “There, that should do the trick. It’s not blocking
it completely, but at least it will dull it to the point where it won’t be picked up by anyone with powers.”

  I hug her and got up to go gather the drinks and snacks before heading back upstairs.

  “This is all weird to me. I still don’t understand how you can be a witch. I just hope you’ll tell me before something happens. I don’t want any more surprises.”

  I walk away and head to my room. Hopefully, Kira has found something out.

  Walking in the room with snacks and drinks in hand, I cross the room going over to Kira. “I hope you’ve found something out.”

  “I have, but it has nothing to do with the rumor, or fact that you’re a seer. I’ve searched everywhere. I even went as far as hacking her mom’s DC. All I can find is her talking shit about us, but it’s nothing new. I did find out that she’s sleeping with that airhead jock Mekhi. Oh, and she thinks Kelso is hot. Who the hell doesn’t? He would be hotter if he never talked.”

  “That doesn’t help us at all. What do you mean if he never talks? What happened between you two? You didn’t even talk to him at the club. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I know when something is bothering you.”

  “It’s nothing for you to worry about. I won’t be seeing him anymore. I’ll see what else I can find out.”

  Ok, something is going on, and I’m going to find out one way or another. If he said something to upset her this much, then he needs to be dealt with.

  “No, we have other things to do. We need to figure out what the elders are really up to. I hate not knowing what they know. We also need to figure out an escape route so that we know exactly what to do and where to go if things even look bad.”

  “I think for the last part, we need to involve Bruno and Kiernan. They know more about that then we do. From what you said earlier we can trust them, I hope.”

  “You’re right. I’ll talk to them. How are we going to find out what the elders know or what they’re planning?” I inquire.

  “Again, I think we need to talk to the guys. They’ll be way more helpful. I’ve tried hacking into the elder’s system, but I can’t even get past the firewall without setting off alarms. I really need to learn their system. It’s going to take time, though.”