I held up my hand to stop him. “We don’t know each other well enough for me to be hearing this with any credibility. We literally just met. And you are skirting around my question. Why are you having them follow me? It can’t just be about the intel. And who uses the word intel?”
Rhydian leaned forward on the couch. “Yes, we have just met. So, let’s begin by building some trust. I am about to tell you something, and I’m begging you to keep it a secret. Only my friends know about this. If it gets out, it can get me killed.”
“What, are you a spy?”
He snorted at my interruption, trying to contain his mirth, but he sobered up quickly. “No, it’s different. I’m different… I am not human.” He paused, leaving me floundering for more information. I was metaphorically on the edge of my seat. “I’m what you would call a vampire. But to our kind, we are Camasotz. The Mayan myth of the bat god was based on our species.”
I couldn’t help it; I started laughing, like double over in your chair, gut-deep laughter. It was so absurd that it was beyond hilarious and I could not stop my reaction to Rhydian’s statement. “Do you… think… I’m… stupid?” I stumble out between hiccupping chortles.
Rhydian stared at me with his mouth hanging open. “I should have expected that,” he muttered.
When I was finally able to get myself under control, I still had a smile on my face. “Nice joke. I almost believed it. I haven’t laughed that hard in years.” I still had tears leaking from the corners of my eyes that I wiped away with a flick of my finger. “Now seriously, answer the damn question.”
Kyler and Rhydian shared a look before Rhydian came to kneel in front of me. “I am going to show you. But you have to promise not to scream.”
“Like hell, will I make a promise like that. People usually promise that and then don’t follow through. I am not in the habit of breaking my word and I won’t start now for something so silly.” I leaned away from him since he was in my personal space. “Just show me what you want to show me.”
Rhydian looked at me with those beautiful amber eyes of his before I watched his eyes turn black, swallowing the whites of his eyes and stealing all the color from his pupils. His cheeks sunk in to give him a gaunt, hungry look, and literal fangs slid down from his gums, covering his human canines.
I scampered away from him, nearly falling over the back of the chair in my need to escape. He stood so fast I don’t think I actually saw him move. He was kneeling one second and standing the next.
“It’s still me, Kirsten.” His voice was more gravely in this form.
“I didn’t know you beforehand. So, this is uber scary.” I let out a small whimper before swallowing my scream. “Don’t kill me,” I whispered as I closed my eyes.
Arms wrapped around me, and I instantly felt soothed. I didn’t know who grabbed me, but it was comforting.
“It’s alright. He won’t hurt you. None of us will. I don’t think we can.” Dylan’s voice soothed my nerves as he whispered into my ear, his hot breath tickling the hairs there.
When I opened my eyes again, Rhydian looked the same, but he was farther away, on the other side of the living room, giving me loads of space. “What are you, Dylan? Some kind of siren?”
His silent laughter shook me as he tried to regain his composure. “I don’t think those are real, but you never know. No, I'm just a witch.”
I turned in his arms. “Like me?” Hope filled my voice.
“Is that what you are? We couldn’t quite tell. Your energy felt similar to mine, but also different, and so much stronger.” His hand ran down the back of my head, causing a shiver to slither down my spine and settle low in my belly.
Down, girl. These are strangers, strangers with secrets.
“Yeah, I’m a witch. You found me out. But you have to keep it a secret. Hunters are after me, after my whole family. It’s why we move a lot.” I wasn’t going to tell him it was because they only find us due to my glitchy powers. I wiggled out of the comfort of Dylan’s arms and turned back towards Rhydian. Carefully climbing off the back of the chair, I stepped onto the carpet and made my way over to him. “You swear you won’t hurt me?”
Rhydian looked very serious as he answered me. “I’ll make a blood oath on that.”
With that assurance giving me a little comfort, I reached out and touched his cheek. I could feel his cheekbone clearly under his taut skin. He had amazing cheekbones before, and now they just looked ghoulish. “Does it hurt?” When Rhydian shook his head, I slid my fingers over to the bridge of his nose and down to his lips. Even his lips looked like they belonged on a desiccated corpse, practically non-existent on his face. His fangs hung past his closed lips, so I moved to touch one, but Rhydian grabbed my wrist.
“Please don’t,” he pleaded. “My saliva has a drug-like property that causes the victim to feel immense pleasure as I drink from them. I don’t want you to feel that, not that way.”
When I gave a gentle tug on my arm, he immediately let go. I turned towards the others. “Any more truth bombs you want to drop on me?”
The rest of them looked a little sheepish, so I knelt next to Branden as he sat on the floor, avoiding my eyes. “You a vampire too?”
Rhydian piped up from the window. “It’s a Camasotz.” He corrected.
When I looked back at him, he looked normal again. “Branden, are you a Camasotz too?”
Branden snorted before quieting again. “No, I…” He looked uncomfortable speaking, so I put my hand on his knee. When he looked at me, I gave a gentle smile. “Werewolf.” He just gave me one word. But this time, I didn’t laugh, not after the shock of Rhydian’s dropped secret.
“Okay, that I can wrap my head around.” Sort of… I got up off the ground and made my way over to Keegan. “And you, doll face?”
The guys snickered at the nickname I gave him. But I was on a warpath, they just didn’t know it.
“Shapeshifter.” Keegan actually looked proud of what he was.
“Like shifting into different humans, or what?” I did have to admit; I was insanely curious about that one.
He shook his head. “No, just animals. But they must have the same mass as me. So, I’m limited to what I can become.”
My eyes moved to Kyler. “And what are you, a dragon?”
Kyler shook his head; his hands clasped together. “Nothing that cool. Just remember I won’t hurt you, okay?” At my nod, he opened, then closed his mouth, not knowing how to start. “You have nothing to fear from me. Well, you shouldn’t have anything to fear from my kind, but there are bad eggs with any species.”
“Spit it out, Kyler.” I snapped.
“I am a Witch Hunter. But my family and most of my kind only hunt the witches that break the laws and reveal themselves to humans.”
I stood up so fast my head spun, and I nearly fell. “You… I am on the run because of your kind!” My voice got louder, the more I talked. I had to wipe my hands on my jeans, but I couldn’t help the cold sweat I broke out into or the beating of my heart. “I have been on the run all my life because I have been hunted for as long as I can remember.” My hand went to my forehead. “This can’t be happening. I am going to have to leave again. It’s just my luck to actually meet a Hunter and invite him into my house.”
When Kyler stood up, I couldn’t help the flinch. “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you, Kirsten. Have you broken any laws? Have you revealed yourself to any humans?” When I shook my head to both questions, he continued. “Then you shouldn’t be hunted. I can talk to my parents, leaving you out of the conversation, of course, and find out why you would be pursued so much.”
I made my way back over to my armchair on shaky legs. “So, I have a Camasotz, werewolf, shapeshifter, and hunter all under my roof. Sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke.”
Dylan’s hands rubbed at the building tension in my shoulders, his fingers finding the tight spots and massaging them away. “Don’t forget the witch.”
Peering up at him, I
smiled. “There is always a witch under this roof. Duh, me.”
8
FOXES AND KINGS
Kirsten
I had to step outside to get some air after I was bombarded with all that information. My head felt like it was on the verge of exploding. Cold air and space would do me some good. I made my way to the back of the house and went through the back door, leaving it open. The biting chill and blustery snow-filled sky promised a cold night.
Dragging my hands down my face, I let out a huge sigh, my breath fogging up the space in front of my face. I didn’t even put on a jacket before escaping to the backyard. I craved the feel of the cold on my skin to snap some sense of normalcy into my life. I’d been knocked on my ass with things I didn’t even know were real, and it was not something I was used to, nor was it something I much liked. Scrubbing my hands back across my face, I closed my eyes and wished that none of this had happened, that I was still in my bubble of ignorance. It was blissful there.
When I finally deemed it safe to open my eyes again, I got another shock I wasn’t expecting. A beautiful black and red colored fox was standing in the snow, just staring at me while I stared at it. It’s unblinking eyes never left me as I moved to the side of our deck to get a better look.
“Hello, little furry friend. What are you doing here? I don’t think you belong here. It’s very cold outside. Where did you come from?” I cooed at the little creature as it stood as still as a statue.
I slowly took the icy steps down to the lawn, leaving deep footprints in the snow as I walked towards the shed. The fox stayed where it was, cautiously watching me, and I walked as carefully as I could so I didn’t spook the animal. “I bet I can find you a warm spot to sleep in the shed. Would you like that?” Keeping my eye on the beauty, I pulled the shed door open.
When I stepped inside, I lost sight of the fox. Reaching up for the string to turn on the light, when I gave it a tug, the brightness nearly blinded me. We had boxes stored in here for things we didn’t need at the moment, like spare blankets that didn’t fit in the linen closet, or ones we didn’t like but used to pad our stuff when we left. I grabbed a few of those blankets and made a warm nest of them, adding a couple of throw pillows. As I turned around, I nearly had a heart attack when I spotted the fox in the doorway, watching me with intelligent eyes.
“I made you a bed in here where you’re out of the weather. I don’t know what you eat, but I can look that up and get you some food. Just don’t eat my brother’s cat. He will be so mad.” It was almost like it understood what I was saying because it followed my hand to the pile of blankets and back up to me before it made its way over to it, rubbing against my leg on the way past. “I will figure out what you eat. Just bear with me.”
I left the fox in the shed with the light off, and the door cracked so it could come and go as it pleased. When I got back up to the back door, I realized my hands were shaking. I couldn’t get them to stop, not knowing if it was fear or excitement that caused me to react so.
Opening the door, I waltzed in at the same time I heard the front door open. “Fuck,” I muttered, racing to the front of the house. Skidding to a stop in the living room in time to see Kian drop his bag, his mouth hanging open. “Hi, Kian. You’re home early. Thought you were going to be out with friends for the evening.” I had a sugary-sweet tone to my voice as I addressed my older brother.
“Change of plans. And a good thing too. Why are there so many people in the house? Does Mom know about this?”
I glared at him. “I asked if I could have friends over, so yes.”
Kian let out a fake laugh. “Friends? These buffoons? They run the school. They are not staying under the radar.”
Throwing my hands up, I stalked towards him. “I can befriend who I want. It’s not like I had a line of people wanting to be my friends. I’m not you, Kian.”
“No, you aren’t. You are more important than that.” He hissed as I got in his face.
“Enough with me being some important person for the witch community. I can’t control my powers. You have it so much easier than I do.”
His finger poked me in the chest. “I only have it easy because I only have one element. You have more. You need to learn to control them all. It may take learning them one by one. We don’t know. Every witch is different. You can’t rush it. Until then, you are supposed to be riding under everyone’s attention. Instead, you gathered the five princes of Greenville High. Way to go.”
Rubbing at the sore spot he left on my sternum, I waved him away. “It will be fine.”
“I sure hope so, for your sake.”
9
OVERBEARING FAMILY
Rhydian
I figured it was time for us all to leave when Kian and Kirsten started arguing. I could hear every word clear as day, just like the rest of the guys… well except Dylan, he didn’t have super hearing.
Thinking Kirsten wouldn’t want us to know some of the things they were saying; I cleared my throat. “It’s probably time for us to go; before we overstay our welcome.” I moved away from the window while the rest of the gang got up from their various positions. Kian hadn’t even spared us a second glance since he came in.
Kirsten paused in her argument with her brother, pulling away to look at us. “I’m sorry, but maybe it’s for the best. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.” Her focus turned back on her brother, giving him a glare I’d hate to be on the receiving end of.
Kian watched us walk out the door one by one, me being the last out the door, closing it on his very handsome, yet angry face. You could tell they were siblings, but he didn’t quite have the same effect with his scowl that Kirsten did. Mocking him, I gave him a friendly wave before the door shut completely.
“Was that necessary to tease him?” Kyler muttered under his breath, knowing I could hear him, even though he was at the end of the driveway.
I couldn’t help the chuckle. Of course, it was necessary to taunt him. First of all, he treated his sister like shit. Secondly, it was just plain fun.
I climbed into my Honda CR-V and took off at record speed.
Kian
When I came home to some strange guys in our living room, I nearly had a heart attack. My mind spun with possibilities other than my sister having spilled our secrets; my heart pounded a beat in my chest that I couldn’t keep up with and my breaths came in ragged pants. My sister was not in the living room with these boys I had seen around school. I knew they were the popular guys, the richest of the rich in this state alone, and I also knew they would chew Kirsten up and spit her out like last week’s chow. When Kirsten came from the back of the house, her cheeks and nose were red, but not like she was crying. Her black turtleneck and ripped skinny jeans with her calf-length black boots were all she wore. I really hoped she wasn’t outside in just that.
I did the only thing my mind would let me do with the fear coursing through my veins. I went on the attack. The guys in the living room fidgeting in discomfort as my sister and I argued in hushed whispers.
Relief relaxed my muscles when they started heading out. Something about them when they came near made my hackles stand on end, though. There was something dangerous about them and I was going to find out what. I couldn’t have my sister hanging out with people who could expose our secrets to the world and get her killed.
When the door shut with finality, I spun back on my sister. “How could you invite total strangers to our home? This is the only place we have to feel even the slightest bit safe, and you brought them. Do you know anything about them?”
Kirsten stepped back for the personal space she craved, the space that made her feel comforted. “I know enough about them. It’s not like I am sleeping with them. I am trying to make friends like you and Mom keep telling me to do. But when I finally make some, you don’t want me hanging with them? That’s a little wrong since you get to hang with your friends.”
“I am not going to be saving all of witch-kind.”
“I am do
ne with that damn prophecy. All it does is make promises I cannot keep. My powers are wonky at best, and I am more likely to blow something up than heal it. So, you cannot expect me to be the Witch Savior.” Kirsten stormed off, going up the stairs and leaving me feeling angry and confused as hell.
Kirsten
My brother and I fight more often than not. It was probably because we were so close in age. It really didn’t matter. Every time he brought up that prophecy, I just felt this intense heat boiling inside my gut, screaming to get out. If I let it out, it would be very bad for everyone nearby.
I raced up the stairs as fast as I could, getting to my room and slamming the door shut as hard as I could. Cracks formed around the hinges and the door jam, but I didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty for it. Throwing myself on the bed, I screamed as loud as I could into my pillow. When that didn’t help, I threw it against the wall, watching it flop to the floor where it stayed.
As I stared at it, I suddenly remembered the fox in the shed. Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I started doing some research on foxes. I found out that the fox in my shed was a red fox that was partially melanistic. I had to look up what melanistic meant, though. It was just an increased development of the dark-haired pigment melanin in the hair of the fox, so essentially the opposite of albinism. Thankfully, foxes are omnivores, so I could feed it either meat or vegetables. It made it easier to figure out the food situation.
I shut my phone off and got back up, determined to get some food for the new little furry friend I made.
As I opened my door, I heard my mother call up to me as she entered the house. “Kirsten, I grabbed take out since no one ordered the pizza. Hope you are in the mood for Chinese food. I sure am.”
Spirit of the Earth Page 5
