“She’s mine, and I’ll do whatever I want with her,” Taurus says, his eyes burning brightly with anger and greed.
One day my mouth will get me into more trouble than I can handle, and today is probably that day, but I take a deep breath and say, “I know I’m new to all of this, but I’m pretty sure you Zodiacs belong to the Guardians.”
That does it.
Taurus’s nostrils flare, the nose ring flailing in his heavy breath. The green and brown in his eyes mix like a liquid bomb. He keeps his eyes locked on me, and tightens his grip around Sarah, squeezing until she cries out.
The main door bursts open. A young man in the Bullion uniform skids to a halt just inside the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Master.”
Taurus keeps his eyes locked on me. “Then don’t.”
The young man fidgets with the hem of his jacket. “But Master, we have a problem downstairs.”
He cowers as Taurus turns the full weight of his wrath on him. “Handle it.”
The man ducks his head, and a quiet whimper escapes his lips. “I’m sorry, Master, but they need you. It seems they’ve caught what they’re calling an Aid downstairs. He’s causing a lot of trouble.”
I stare at the timid young man, and my heart skips a beat. It has to be Aidan. I keep my expression neutral, but inside, I desperately hope he’ll be alright.
“Wait outside.”
The young man bows, then all but runs out the door, shutting it a little too hard behind him.
Taurus turns his attention back to me. “Wait here.”
As he stares at me, the floor beneath my feet rumbles.
The carpet turns to liquid, running itself up my legs. I struggle against it, but the harder I fight, the higher it rises. Just like quicksand. It winds up my body, pinning my arms and stopping at my shoulders, holding me firm as if I ’m buried upright in cement. The only movement I have is in my neck. I look over at Sarah and Hannah, and they’re just as stuck as I am.
Cackling, Taurus strides out of the room, his robes whipping around his legs.
“Sarah? You guys okay?”
“What is this?” Grunting, Sarah struggles to break free, stopping after a moment to catch her breath.
“I don’t know how he did that.” I test my arms to see if I can move them at all, but they’re glued firmly to my side.
Sarah glances at me, tired and grief-stricken. “Now what?”
I sigh. “I guess we wait.”
The afternoon passes mostly in frustrated silence, and I wonder what has happened downstairs. The carpet still holds firm, and no amount of struggling on my part has made a difference. The anxiety of waiting strangles my nerves.
The sun sets early in the winter, and the room is now dark, highlighted only by the neon lights filtering through the window.
My mind races, contemplating everything that has happened the last few days. I worry about Aidan and whether he’s still alive and if Jocelyn is safe. I think about how much I already love him and whether we can even be together.
Men died today by my hand. I can't help but feel guilty. Their deaths were the result of being unwilling pawns, and that weighs heavily on my mind.
I imagine what is in the scroll and how I can send Taurus back to Polaris. The only thing I try not to think about is what will happen if I fail. With no daughter to pass the Guardianship on to, if I die, will it go back to my mom? Does our line end?
I'm quickly growing comfortable in my new role even if I still don’t know much about it. I'd like the chance to see what lies ahead, but I'll do whatever it takes to stop him. Taurus taking over the Earth would be far worse than anything else.
“Ciara?”
Their faces are hidden by the darkness. “Yeah?”
“I’m scared.” Sarah’s voice sounds hollow and defeated.
“It’s gonna be okay.” My voice is steady, but the truth is, so am I.
The door swings open and light suddenly floods the room. I blink several times, squinting through the blinding light, finally able to focus on Taurus.
“What did you do with Aidan? Where is he?” My voice cracks as I fight back the tears.
“The Aid put up a good fight.” His nonchalant tone infuriates me.
Growling, I struggle against the carpet. “I’ll kill you!”
In a blur, Taurus stands in front of me, leaning in close to my ear.
“You can’t. But I’m going to kill the rest of your friends, and I’m going to kill you. Then I’m going to rule over your planet and be done with taking orders.” Straightening, he snaps his fingers, and three uniformed men march into the room. All three are tall and thick as tree trunks.
“Where’s Aries? Doesn’t he want to stay, or did you turn your back on him too?”
We lock eyes, and I see a glimmer of fear before the sneer returns. “Aries is weak, and his Guardian is not nearly as helpful as mine. But don’t worry, he’ll have his chance to come back once I’ve taken my rightful place.”
The carpet that holds us up disintegrates, dropping all three of us to the floor in shock. I swear as I bang my elbow hard on the floor, and gingerly stretch my stiff muscles to work out the cramps.
“Help them up.” Taurus gestures and the uniformed men rush forward and grab each one of us. The burliest of the three lifts me to my feet. Neither Sarah or Hannah put up a fight, but I land the heel of my boot in the big man’s knee.
Growling, he raises a meaty fist over my head, and I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for a blow that doesn’t come. I peek with one eye to see Taurus holding the man’s arm. “Just hold her tight and keep her quiet.”
He bows his head, scowling at me. “Yes, Master.”
The men drag us to the side of the room, lining us up against the wall.
“It’s time.” Taurus pulls his birthstone out of the pocket in his robes, holding it carefully in the palm of his hand, his face a mixture of hunger and worship. He looks up as if he suddenly realizes he isn’t alone, a dark shadow passing across his face. “Bring me the little one.”
“No!” Sarah’s shriek echoes through the room as she struggles against her captor.
The soldier holding Hannah pushes her forward, marching her toward Taurus. She looks over her shoulder, fear widening her eyes. “Mom?”
Sarah fights with every ounce of strength she has. “Don’t touch her! Take me! Take me!”
Taurus’s face, a blank mask, reaches out for Hannah. “I will.”
He tightens his grip on Hannah’s shoulder, and she moans, wriggling in his grasp. He tilts his head, closing his eyes and listening to something that only he can hear.
It’s now or never. Leaning forward, I slam my body into the soldier holding me, and he grunts as he hits the wall. I bring my leg up behind me and get enough force to land another swift kick into his already bruised knee.
This time he falls, wailing in pain. Quickly, I grab a fistful of hair and slam his head into the floor. His wailing is cut short as I knock him out cold.
I rush toward Hannah and Taurus, desperate to get her out of his grip. As I run, I yank the turquoise dagger out of my pocket, almost pulling the scroll out in the process, and slam my body into Hannah, knocking her to the floor. “Go, Hannah! Run!”
I back up slowly, tucking the scroll back in my pocket, and position myself just out of his reach.
A flash of fear crosses his face, but it's quickly replaced by the usual sneer. “I should’ve known Capricorn would give you one of those. Clever of him to hide it from me. No matter.”
Taurus gestures to the soldiers against the wall. “Kill them.”
Hannah, still loose, runs across the room, dodging the soldier that desperately tries to catch her.
Seeing that she’s currently fending for herself, I look over in time to see Sarah’s captor slip his pistol out of his side holster. I charge them, brandishing my dagger.
“Sarah, left!” She twists to her left, exposing his chest, a perfect place for me to plant my blade.
“Help Hannah, then get over here.”
I rush toward Taurus, ducking as the lights overhead burst, showering us in a rain of sparks that burn my skin and plunge the room into almost total darkness.
A ring of pale blue fire ignites in the carpet, closing Taurus in a perfect circle. The wind picks up, whirling a vortex around the room, whipping my hair and tugging my clothes. The flames rise to Taurus’s height, unaffected by the wind.
I race toward the fire, but I’m forced to step back as they flare up. The cold flames lick my hand, blisters bubbling instantly.
“Sarah!” The gusting wind almost swipes the scroll as I pull it out of my jacket.
“We’re here!” Sarah clenches her jaw, and Hannah looks close to passing out. The body of the third soldier lays motionless on the ground behind them.
“Ready?”
Sarah squints through the wind, pulling Hannah in close, and hangs on tightly to her arm.
I peel the wax binding from the edge of the scroll and carefully unroll it, holding it as steady as I can in the whipping wind.
In the center of the scroll is a circle, stretching almost to the edge of the parchment, covered in intricate ink drawings of the twelve Zodiac houses.
A smaller circle inside is filled with stars of the Zodiac constellations woven together. The symbols that cover the edge of the scroll are unrecognizable.
“Blood! I need your blood!” I chance a quick peek at Taurus to see a wispy blue fire crawling up his legs. “Now!”
Sarah shoves her hand in front of me, helping me to hold on to the scroll. I use my dagger to slice her open palm, and a thin line of blood rises instantly. She grits her teeth and places her hand on top of the scroll.
The outer circle flashes brilliantly in golden light, leaving the symbols burned into the scroll. The wheel of the Zodiac houses spins clockwise slowly on the parchment.
Hannah steps forward, and holds out her hand, squeezing her eyes shut as I slice her palm. Quickly she lays her hand on the parchment, adding her blood to the spell.
The inner circle flashes, the constellations burning with silver fire, spinning counterclockwise in a movement so fast, they blur. The circles stop, suddenly locked, matching the house with its constellation.
The Zodiac wheel gives one final turn, and a bright blue flame explodes from parchment to ceiling, disappearing just as quick, as the spell locks in the parchment.
I race toward Taurus, swiping at the flames with my dagger. The fire parts like a set of curtains and I rush through the opening, the flames closing instantly behind me. No wind blows inside the circle.
Flying by instinct, I thrust the scroll on the floor at Taurus’s feet. The edges of the parchment catch the flame of the blue fire, and silver smoke curls into the air. The spell bursts into yellow flames, swirling with the blue fire that had climbed up most of Taurus’s body, covering him in mixed green flames that rage and fill the circle.
I throw my hands up in front of me, praying I don’t get burned alive.
Taurus screams, loud and angry. The flames open and suck him inside. He struggles against an unseen force holding him steadfast.
As he sinks further into the flames, I see the birthstone teetering on his palm, and jump across the circle to grab the ring. I duck my head and hurl myself out of the circle, burned by the freezing fire, screaming as I hit the ground and roll away from the blue flames.
The circle implodes, vanishing within itself in the blink of an eye. The blue fire and Taurus are gone. The wind dies out, and the room falls silent.
I sit up, breathing heavily, wishing the world would stop spinning. As the ringing in my ears fades, I realize someone is banging on the door and shouting.
The door splinters, cracking open, and Aidan and Donnelly rush inside, running straight for me and smothering me with hugging arms. I untangle myself and look at Aidan. “I thought you were dead. They said they’d captured an Aid.”
“No. They caught Libra’s Aid, but I ran into your dad on my way back in, and we were able to get him to safety. The other Aids and the Guardians are downstairs cleaning house.” He chuckles, but it’s only a second before the smile slips from his face. Locking his blue eyes on mine, I see nothing but love. I lean in, kissing him long and deep.
Aidan pulls back, ignoring the frown from my father. “I’m proud of you.”
“We all are.” With one last scowl at Aidan, Donnelly helps me to my wobbly feet, and I lean into him.
Sarah and Hannah sit silently in the corner of the room, holding tightly to each other, both of their gazes a million miles away.
I look back at my dad. “Will you make sure they’re okay?”
He passes me to Aidan and gently kneels beside them, talking in soft tones.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Christmas passed with barely a blink. Tonight is New Year’s Eve, and friends and family gather downstairs.
I stand in front of a long mirror, checking and double-checking my appearance, and smooth the black sequin dress that reaches my ankles. My hair is curled and pulled away from my face in a series of braids. I slip into black satin stiletto heels.
All the boxes have been unpacked and thrown away. I belong here, and I know that now.
There’s a soft tap on my door, and I turn around to see Jocelyn slip in the room. She whistles through her teeth, waggling her eyebrows at me. “You look wonderful!”
Giggling, I check her out. “You too!”
Jocelyn wears a short emerald dress and matching heels. Her fiery red curls are piled high on her head. “Come on. Everyone’s ready.”
Smiling, she links her arm in mine and steers me out of the room. She’s mostly back to her old self, but her eyes are still haunted.
I glance around the room, searching through the crowd of our stylishly dressed friends that have arrived to celebrate the new year. Julia hangs on to the arm of some guy I don’t recognize, as do some of the other Guardians. Sarah and Hannah had been invited, but they chose to stay home together for a quiet evening.
Aidan slips his way through the crowd, dressed in a black suit with a blue tie that matches his eyes. My breath catches in my throat at the sight of him, and my heart does a tiny backflip in my chest. He walks straight to my side, slipping his arm around my waist, and kisses me lightly on the cheek. “You look beautiful.”
I beam at him. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Aidan guides me through the crowd, and I scan the happy faces. I’m happy and whole for the first time in my entire life. We make our way over to my parents, who whisper together in the corner. The love in their eyes makes my heart ache for the sacrifice they made, reminding me that it won’t be long before I have to say goodbye to Aidan.
My mom lights up as we approach. “You look amazing!”
I hug them both. “You guys look great. Everything okay?”
They nod in unison, sharing a look that says they know something and were debating how to tell me.
“Out with it.”
My mom ducks her head. “Your dad is going to be staying a while.”
Donnelly squeezes her tight. “We hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah! That’s great!” My excitement quickly fades. “Wait. I thought it was forbidden.”
Donnelly reaches forward, taking my hand. “Thanks to you, the council has voted to revise one of their laws.”
He pauses, studying my face as I wait for him to finish. “Any Aid will be allowed more time on Earth if they choose. I can’t stay forever, but I can spend more time here. It’s also no longer forbidden for Aids and Guardians to have a relationship.”
I look up at Aidan, hardly believing what I’m hearing.
He smiles from ear to ear and leans in to kiss me softly.
“One other thing.” My mom digs through her clutch purse, pulling out a tiny silver box with a green bow. She presses the box into my hands. “It’s a late birthday present from Capricorn.”
I open the box, and inside on a bed of green velvet, lies a silver necklace in the shape of a goat with a large piece of turquoise in the place of its heart. Tears well up in my eyes and I slip the chain out of the box, handing it to Aidan, who fastens it around my neck.
Laughter fills the air, and the clinking of glasses as drinks are passed around, and friends celebrate the coming of a new year.
Tonight, we celebrate, but the fact that Kyrell and his order are still out there somewhere in the shadows looms large in my mind. The birthstones for Leo, Scorpio, and Pisces are missing, and the women belonging with the stones still need to take their rightful place as Guardians.
I have safely tucked away Capricorn’s birthstone, and I’m working on learning to control my elemental magic, although I have a long way to go. I’m not sure what the new year will bring, but I take comfort in the knowledge that all of us are in this together.
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DEDICATION
To my parents. You give me the strength to have dreams, and the courage to go after them. Thank you for your love and support. Mom – you always have a laugh in your heart and a sparkle in your eye, and you’ve taught me to see the beauty in life. You helped me learn to be creative, and I’ll always thank you for being my personal dictionary growing up. Dad – you were the rock in life. You taught me to be responsible and to go after what I want. I’m forever grateful that you were willing to buy me any book I ever wanted to read as a child. You helped to expand my horizons and to find my love of story. I love you both, and Dad, I miss you every day.
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