“Anyway,” Meredith continued, “when Nate felt your presence when you came to Erie, and we found out that you had moved close to us, we thought the council finally sent someone to protect us.”
I did a double take on her words. “Wait a second. What do you mean ‘felt me’?”
Nate shifted uncomfortably under my glare.
“He’s an empath,” Meredith spoke for him. “He can feel people’s emotions and sometimes magical energies. The minute we saw you, he knew for sure what you were.”
He looked into my eyes, and I felt my face become warm from embarrasment. All that time he knew I liked him.
“All that time!” I shouted at him, who knew exactly what I was yelling at him for. “You knew all that time! You didn’t say anything! You didn’t . . .” I trailed off hoping he felt my anger and embarrassment. I wasn’t sure what to say. He knew that I had a crush on him. That I had always had a crush on him. All that time. I wanted to beat him where he stood. Meredith thought I was referring to my secret.
“Caden, we weren’t sure how to approach you about it. And then after dinner that first night, my mom said to let it rest.”
Nate still hadn’t responded in any way. He was utterly speechless.
“I tried to tell you in subtle ways,” he finally whispered.
Parts of our interactions were adding up in my head. I removed my glare from him and stared up at the ceiling. “Ugh, unbelievable.”
Suddenly, something came to my attention. It wasn't possible that Nate could feel my supernatural powers on the first day. "Wait. How did you know?"
“Your power overpowered my charm.” Nate grabbed his necklace to show me.
“My power? I didn’t get them until recently. There’s no way you should have felt anything. I think your charm must have been broken.”
Meredith looked at me quizzically, but Nate shook his head with confidence.
“No, it wasn’t. It blocks everyone’s emotions except for those whose magic shoots off the charts.”
My stomach dropped slightly, and Ajax' words came back to haunt me: half of a right.
Nate put his hand on my forearm. “It’s okay. Whatever you are worried about, it will be okay.”
I glared at him. I wasn’t thrilled that he could read me.
“Is there anyone else that you have met that has tripped your charm?” I asked. A suspicion was starting to form in the back of my mind.
“Yeah. It’s happened.” He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal.
“Who was it?” I demanded. My blood was pumping with anxious energy.
“Ajax.”
Thoughts were forming, but things weren’t quite adding up yet.
“Do you guys know what Ajax is?”
Both shook their heads.
“That’s one of the reasons why I am angry with him,” Meredith responded. “I found out during band camp that Ajax was a part of the Mundus Noctis. Nate accidentally let it slip.”
Nate looked chagrined.
Meredith continued, “and when I confronted him, we just got into a big argument.”
“Have you ever heard of a guardian of the ley-line?”
Again both shook their heads.
“I don’t believe there is such a thing,” Meredith replied, slowly as she was thinking upon it.
“What about Jesse? You guys know anything about Jesse?”
Another shake of the head.
“He breaks the protection of my charm, and his magical energy feels very similar to Ajax, but not as powerful. I can’t even register any of his feelings,” Nate enlightened me.
“Have you guys ever met a Fae?”
Both of their faces paled. Even from those quite aware of the possible creatures in the Mundus Noctis the Fae were terrifying. Not that it surprised me since they could take their own magic out of their realm.
“No,” Meredith hushed. “Caden, we shouldn’t talk about the Fae.”
As much as I wanted to know about the Fae, from their expressions and Sera’s words, it was in my best interest not to think or ask about the Fae.
“I’m sorry you are learning about all this now,” Meredith continued.
I gave her a look and saw her blush.
She looked flustered. “Being born different than most people, we get to learn from our parents about the supernatural. Sometimes we take it for granted. I got to learn from my own coven. Nate learned from his parents who are Healers.”
“Healers?”
“We are from a tribe that takes the Earth’s energy and transmutes it into healing energy,” he explained. "Unfortunately, that gift was not passed down to me."
“Anyway, now we know that you are not a normal member of the Mundus Noctis."
“So I can’t even be a normal supernatural being, huh?” I said wryly.
“Do you know why this information was kept from you?” Nate inquired.
“I was told that it was to keep me secret and safe. And to have a normal life.” I heaved a sigh. My life had taken on a different path than what was expected of a Venatrix Malorum. And although I did get to have a normal life up until this point, Meredith and Nate were ahead of the game, and I was extremely lacking. To be a Venatrix Malorum and not have a single understanding of my own world was detrimental. I felt defeated, and Nate sensed it.
“We can help when you need it,” he comforted me.
I smiled gratefully in response. “That would be really great.” I suddenly remembered my encounters with the vampires that I had had and shivered when I realized how dangerous it could be for them. “Just do me a favor, will ya?”
They nodded in agreement before even knowing what I would ask.
“Don’t tell anyone about me. It could be very dangerous.”
They both laughed.
“Caden, your secret is safe with us. We won’t out you.” Nate brushed my cheek slightly with the back of his fingers, and my heart fluttered and sent heat to my face.
Shrugging off his touch, from which I knew he knew what my reaction was, I smiled and hugged them both. I knew I could rely on them.
Besides their overloaded questions on what it felt like to be the Venatrix Malorum and who was my instructor and where I was training, I spent the rest of the evening being normal and talking about ridiculous teenage things. Korina was ignoring Nate for some reason that he wasn’t even sure of. Meredith was on the verge of dropping out of Algebra 2 and requesting to be placed back into basic math. For the first time in my life, I had no desire to do homework for Monday, which worried me. Only the Fates knew if this title would fail me out of school. What were the three of us going to do?
Chapter Twenty-One
I called Sera from Nate's house to let her know I was on my way home. When I had returned, I saw Sera walking toward her room. I already knew that she would be waiting up for me, but I found it humorous that she would bother to hide it as she tried to sneakily head to her bedroom.
“Goodnight,” I shouted as she rounded the corner.
“Night,” she shouted back.
When I entered my bedroom, I saw an envelope on my bed that Sera must have left for me. It had my name on it in Flora's handwriting. When I opened it, the letter that it contained did not match her script. And it was addressed "To my baby girl."
I have started this letter so many times, still not entirely sure if what I write is the right thing or not. I guess the first thing I should say, is that if you are reading this, then I have failed to protect you. Please don't be angry with your Aunt Flora or your father for keeping the Mundus Noctis a secret. It was for your safety. The plan was for you to live your life as a normal human being away from the night world (or the Mundus Noctis) with your aunt. What your father knows, we would protect you from a distance. We wanted you to know what it was like to laugh as a child, feel loved with a family, fall in love, and just be happy.
Because you were not born from two Hunters, you would have been tested continuously and evaluated to see if you wer
e strong enough or good enough. I know because your grandmother chose a human over a Venator, and when the Venatrix council found me at the age of 12, I was tested and evaluated at every opportunity. That is no life for a child.
Please know that I do not regret mating with your father. Even if I were given a redo, I would still choose him over another Venator. The only thing I regret is not being able to find another way to protect you in time. I wish I could have been there to see you grow up. But know that you are loved.
Now for the critical parts to keep you safe through their world. You probably already know by now that they call their world the "Mundus Noctis." It's a world hidden from humans that only exists in the darkness, shadows, and the night. There, you will find vampires, werewolves, demons, and other Supernatural creatures that you have only read or watched movies about. From stories, myths, or legends, they all exist.
There are two Factions in their world: the Scelesti, genuinely evil beings that do nothing but kill, eat, and seek power. They have no tender emotions. They are cold inside and out. These are the creatures that feed off humans and responsible for people's nightmares. The horror movies and stories that are told about these creatures have truth to them, and your mysteries of human disappearances that cannot be explained are caused by them. And as a Venatrix Malorum, a huntress of evil, it will be your job to hunt them down.
The other Faction: the Casti, a superior, egotistical group of Supernaturals that thrive on nothing but rules. They keep one another in line with their laws in order to keep themselves secret from the human world. In my experience, they do very little but regulate their world and only react when a law has been broken. Learn their laws and their rules. It’s the only way to survive in the Mundus Noctis on the Casti side.
Caden, as a Venatrix, you are a weapon for the Casti. Your purpose is to rid the Mundus Noctis of the Scelesti. You will be seen by them as nothing more. Do not expect their sympathy. Do not tell them or anyone else that you are not a full-blooded Venatrix. They will probably suspect, but as long as you don’t say it allowed, you will stay safe with the Casti.
There is so much more to say, but I am running out of time. When you see your father, please tell him I am sorry. It was the only way I knew how to keep you truly safe from the Casti, as well as him.
With all the love in the world,
Your mom
Holy crap, was my first thought after reading the letter from my mom. My fingers tightened on the piece of paper that her words were elegantly written on. She had beautiful handwriting.
After that thought, many more kept popping in my head. Aunt Flora? My father? She was under the assumption that he would contact me. What the hell was mating? And if the Casti were really that ‘good,' why did I have to hide things from them? Although, calling them ‘egotistical’ didn’t sound very good.
Her letter left so much more to be answered and only filled me in on a couple of unanswered questions. There was one person that I knew that would have the answers. Unfortunately, I was too wired to fall asleep. So instead of laying down at that moment to try, I spent the next several minutes getting ready for bed; changing my clothes…slowly, brushing my teeth…slowly, brushing out my hair, which I never did before bed. All of this calm myself. It helped with my body, but my brain was still sending messages and thoughts at a rapid pace.
I would have to somehow find it within me to "walk" to Flora instead. I didn't really know how, but I started out meditating on my bed like I did with the ley-line. Breathing in and out slowly, concentrating at putting parts of my body to rest. When I had finally achieved that part of relaxation, I heard the heartbeat of the ley-line, but I didn't take it. I couldn't use the ley-line to find Flora. So, I just stayed in that meditative state, hoping my mind would find another doorway if I slightly wandered around.
I didn’t, but Flora found me, instead. I met her once again on the edge of a river bank. I sat on the healthy grass with my feet in the river. The coolness of the river ran over my toes, my ankles, and babbled downward. I looked up as the sun warmed my skin and played with my hair. The breeze ruffled Flora's hair and swooped around her flowing skirt and top. She smiled gently at me in a way only a mother could.
“Aunt Flora?” I questioned her, raising my eyebrows.
Flora gave a resigned look before she sat down next to me. “You found the letter.”
“Sera gave it to me.”
Flora dangled her feet in the water and tried to center herself before she spoke.
"They came for Pari, your mother when she was twelve. In all truth, your grandmother and I believe that they wanted me as well, but I was overage."
I opened my mouth to interrupt her to ask another question, but she gave me a look that made me instantly shut it.
“I was seventeen. To the Venatrix Council, that is too old to train and too rebellious to condition. I was safe. Pari was not. That day, my mother and I lost Pari and my father, as the Venator that came to collect her killed him as a lesson when he tried to stop him. It was a two-folded lesson. One, that the Casti would take what they considered theirs. And two, humans were insignificant. Our mother would have fought, had Pari not gone with them. She hadn’t used her combat skills in twenty years, she would not have beat that Hunter.”
“Is that one of the reasons we moved around a lot? To keep Sera safe too?”
Flora nodded. “I prayed that they wouldn’t find Sera. And they didn’t.”
“Does Sera know?”
“No, and there is no need to tell her now. She is safe from the Venatrix Council.” She gently touched my hair, stroking my head like she did when I was a child.
“You, Finn…, my mother, you all make them sound so evil.”
“They train people as weapons. They don’t care about their weapons, only that they have enough.”
“How do these Hunters not see that?” I asked, astonished.
“Most don’t know any better. They have lived in that compound since birth. And because of their Supernatural abilities, they feel like they have a purpose. They aren’t evil, but when you know what life can be like, and you’re a half-breed, it’s better not to have anything to do with the Casti.”
“Why are they so prejudice against half-breeds?”
She eyed me cautiously. “The Casti have said that it makes the blood unclean and weakens the Mundus Noctis.”
“But you don’t believe that,” I hinted.
She pursed her lips as if considering what to say next.
“Why?” I questioned.
“It is true that they look down on half-breeds. But human half-breeds. Part Venatrix, part human, they have frowned upon, but have not condemned. True half-breeds, such as Part Venatrix, part Vampire, they have exterminated. Two supernatural species coming together, mating, and having children… their children and the mated pair are executed. They are seen as abominations. I believe it’s because the councils are afraid that they could be more powerful than one species. And that scares them.”
"I'm one of those supernatural half-breeds," I whispered, and Flora nodded in response. "Do you know who my father is?"
Flora’s smile was sad, and she grabbed another strand of my hair. “I met him once.”
Hope began to soar in my heart. “Then you can tell me who he is.”
“I can’t, honey. I wish I could.”
I felt frustrated, and I’m sure it was written on my face.
She sighed. “The plan was to keep you out of the Venatrix Council’s radar until you were seventeen. Then your parents would come for you. You would be too old in the council’s eyes and could live the rest of your life as a normal human.”
“But there’s no chance of that, is there?”
She looked down at me with the gentlest expression. “As long as you stay off the council’s radar until you’re seventeen, you might get a chance.”
“Even if I have to enter into this trial?”
She challenged me with the raise of her eyebrows. “Does the
council know anything about this?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then you are safe from them.”
“What’s ‘mating’?” I asked, slightly changing the subject, but I remembered my mother saying that she ‘mated’ my father, and Flora had mentioned it earlier.
She quirked her lips up, and her eyebrows shot to her hairline. “You want to know about mating?”
I shrugged my shoulders, suddenly feeling a little shy and twisted my fingers in the grass. “My mother wrote that she mated with my father. In animal terms…”
Her expression was one of restrained laughter. "I'm sure there is some of that too. But in the Mundus Noctis, mating means taking a partner for life. You take a piece of them within you, and they take a piece of you within them. Every species has their own rituals, but ultimately, you belong to each other, and only death can undo the mating."
I raised my eyebrows. “So, it’s permanent?”
She laughed. “Quite.”
I scrunched up my face. “What if you decided that you don’t like that person later? Why would anyone want to do anything so permanent?”
Flora looked eruditely at me. “For one thing, when you find the one that completes your soul, you know. And that bonding makes you feel complete, so your mother has said. And for another, it’s the only way supernaturals are able to have children.”
I stopped playing with the grass and looked up at her in shock.
“Suddenly, speechless?” She grinned at me.
I nodded.
She touched my cheek tenderly. “Come. We don’t have too much time left. Grab my hand. I have to warn you of what is to come.”
I did, and instantly I was transported into the school at night with a stake in my right hand. Lightning flashed in the background. Two vampires were in front of me. They smelled like death and flashed their fangs at me in horrid smiles as they got closer. One of them was Korina. The other, her partner in crime, was holding Nate, hostage. To my right was Zane and to my left was Meredith. Both were doing their best in trying to offer me strength. Meredith held my free hand and Zane had his placed on my shoulder.
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