by Amy Manemann
“We don’t know that Willa is the one chosen by the Goddess, or that her presence will unlock the amulet,” Sadie interjected firmly.
“But we won’t know unless she goes to London,” Jessamine said softly.
“No." Sadie shook her head, lips pressed into a thin line. "I’m sorry. It’s just too dangerous for her to go.”
“It’s just as dangerous for me to stay here, Aunt Sadie. It doesn’t matter where I go, there will always be something out there waiting to suck up my powers in some super demon vacuum. Isn’t it time I started learning how to take care of myself?” I asked.
If it were possible for Sadie’s lips to get even flatter, she somehow managed it. “Just a few days ago you were dead set against going to the Light Council and today you think you’re ready to leave home? You’re just a child, Willa. You aren’t ready to face the dark world yet.”
The harshness of her words took me aback, shocked by the vehemence in her voice. Tears pricked the back of my eyes and I swallowed, at a loss for words.
“As we learned tonight, Willa is powerful, even without training. Should she need to protect herself against an enemy, I have no doubt she could do so,” Braeden spoke for me, his voice soothing the ache in my chest.
“Willa knows nothing about the Underworld. Do you really think she’ll be able to handle herself against a Gremlock Demon?” Sadie spat, turning narrowed eyes on Braeden.
I shivered at the word. Judging by the Braeden’s grimace, I got the feeling that Gremlock Demons weren’t exactly cute and cuddly.
Braeden’s jaw clenched tightly. “She may not, but I certainly can. Are you doubting my ability to protect her?”
“I have little doubt of your capabilities to protect Willa. It’s Willa that concerns me. She’s a loose cannon with her powers, and until she’s properly trained, she could involuntarily hurt someone. It’s just too dangerous. I’m sorry.” Done discussing it, Sadie turned away from us to face the coven leaders.
I stared at her open-mouthed, unable to believe what I’d just heard. Sadie had never spoken to me so harshly before. Why was she being so cruel?
Braeden and I stood silently by while the circle was closed and the coven heads left one by one until finally only the three of us remained.
“Aunt Sadie…,” I began, flinching when her hand shot up.
“Not now, Willa. We will discuss this at home,” she spoke firmly, turning away from me to clean up the great room.
My throat clogged with unshed tears, taken aback by the harshness in her voice. Sadie had never spoken to me like this before. I couldn’t even remember a time where she’d raised her voice when I’d done something wrong. This Sadie wasn’t someone I recognized, wasn’t someone I knew, and I didn’t quite know how to take it.
“I need some air,” I announced weakly to no one in particular, nearly tripping over my own feet in my haste to get out the door.
I flew through the door and across the graveled parking lot surrounding the lighthouse, my feet taking me far away from the hurt. From behind me I heard Braeden shouting my name, but I didn’t stop. Instead, I raced across the gravel towards town. The wind from the ocean blew through my hair as I ran, tearing strands of hair from my braid and twisting them around my face. I continued on, blinded by tears and following an unknown path into town.
I pushed through the darkened streets, running until my lungs burned for air and my legs ached, forcing me to slow down to a more sedate stroll. At the end of yet another street, I was forced stop, unable to go any further. Dropping onto a curb, I lowered my head between my knees, trying to regain my breath. I didn’t understand. Why was Sadie so afraid to let me do this? I understood her reasoning in that she wanted to keep me safe. But she’d been so hurtful about it, so unbending in her decision. It was like she didn’t even want to take into consideration what anyone was telling her, she'd already made up her mind. That wasn't fair. Then again, was any of this really fair?
A pair of elegant shoes stepped into view, an amused voice drawling, “Well, well. What do we have here?”
Slowly, I raised my head from my knees, studying the nicely dressed man standing in front of me. Dark hair glinted in the soft glow of the streetlights, accentuating hollow cheek bones and alabaster skin. I’d never seen him in Salem before, the perfect features of his face not something I would have easily forgotten, though I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
Nervous, I scrambled to my feet, putting some distance between us. He continued to stare at me, with a curious tilt of his head.
“I-I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” I stammered, taking another step backwards on the sidewalk. The need to get away was strong, yet something told me not to turn my back on him.
“Have you been left to wander the streets alone? Such a shame for someone as lovely as yourself,” he murmured, his eyes shimmering with an uneasy darkness that made my skin crawl.
“Uh no, I’m not alone. I’m meeting a friend,” I said quickly, my stomach dipping when the corner of his lip curled upward.
“You humans amuse me, you truly do. I sense no one nearby, young one,” he crooned, stepping closer.
Hastily, I turned, ready to bolt, only to come to a jolting stop. A man stood blocking my path, and my heart began to race as I took in the hallowed face and alabaster skin, features unnervingly identical to the man now stepping onto the sidewalk behind me. I whipped around, fear clogging the back of my throat.
The man’s face held a gleam of delight, a predator’s smile spreading across his lips. It wasn’t his smile so much that held me frozen in terror as it was the pair of white fangs glistening in the evening light.
“Tsk-tsk…you weren’t planning on running off, now were you? Armand and I were hoping you would stay and play.”
Chapter 10
I was unable to release the scream caught in the back of my throat, frozen in pure terror as he closed the distance between us to capture my chin in his hand. The instant his fingers grazed my skin, his eyes flared in surprise.
“She is of the light," he exclaimed in wonder, tilting my chin side to side as he studied me curiosly. "Why did we not sense it?”
“Perhaps she has not yet come into her powers, Demetri. Her blood will be a most delicious treat,” the other one, Armand, spoke from behind me, startling me at his proximity.
His words jarred me into action, and I jerked my head, removing myself from Demetri’s grasp. He merely watched in amusement, undaunted by my actions.
“Poor little Lightkeeper, unable to protect herself against us. It’s a shame to allow so much power to go to waste. ‘Tis good we’re here to release it from her.” Demetri, flashed a fanged grin my way.
“Not on my watch,” Braeden’s welcome voice rang out, and my knees sagged in relief. Thank the Goddess.
He stood in the middle of the empty street, a wicked-looking sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other. His lips twisted in a smirk, an eagerness for battle shone in his golden eyes, leaving little room for doubt he was a man who had faced his fair share of things that went bump in the night.
“Braeden, you ruin our fun. Don’t tell me the little Lightkeeper belongs to you?” Tucking an icy hand under my arm, Demetri pulled me around. My skin crawling where it touched his, I struggled against his grip but got nowhere, his strength far greater than my own.
Braeden’s hand tightened around the sword, displeasure darkening his face. “If you let her go now, I’ll be lenient and kill you quickly. It’s your choice.”
Armand laughed, a throaty chuckle that would have been pleasing had it not come from such a loathsome creature. “Why would we let this delectable treat go, Sir Braeden? She is one of many. You would be wise to count your loss and move along.”
Braeden swirled the sword at his side, the fluid motion one of ease, as though it were a part of him rather than a weapon in hand. If it weren’t for the fang gang flanking either side of me, I probably would have stopp
ed to admire the view. As it was, I was just trying to keep my panic from bubbling to the surface.
“I am curious about one thing. How is it you were able to get through the shields surrounding the town when none of your kind has before?” Braeden asked, taking an advancing step towards us.
I winced in pain as Demetri’s hand tightened on my arm. Noticing the movement, Braeden’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Mayhap someone left us a key to the back door.” Armand’s intense gaze suddenly focused with interest at my arm clenched tightly in Demetri’s grasp. Following his line of sight, I was startled to see a soft glow emanating from my arm, wisps of light beginning to stream and swirl beneath the skin’s surface. I instantly recognized my powers, making me wonder if they were reacting to the vampires. It’d been so easy to tap into my powers when I brought a roomful of witches to their knees, yet I had no clue how I did it. Maybe if I could clear my mind and focus I could find my inner light and do something cool, like zap Demetri on his demonic ass.
I shot a furtive glance at Demetri, who still appeared focused on Braeden. Careful to avoid Armand’s silvery stare, I took slow, even breaths, forcing my rapid heartbeat to slow its pace like Braeden had taught me earlier.
“Demetri-” Armand said in a low voice, baring his fangs when Demetri merely brushed him off with a wave of his hand.
“However you broke through doesn’t matter.” Braeden easily swirled his sword behind him. “I’ll be sending you back to the Underworld soon enough.”
Demetri laughed, shaking my arm so hard it rattled my teeth. It also made me lose my focus, and I inwardly cursed. “I have your Lightkeeper in my grasp. It’s her you should worry about.”
“Demetri,” Armand tried again, only to receive another dismissive wave.
Braeden’s smirk widened, and he gave a nod of his chin. “Oh, I’m not worried about Willa. She can handle herself just fine.”
Demetri spared me a glance, instantly doing a double take when he saw the light coming from my arm, a light that was now spreading up to my shoulder.
“Why did you not say something?” he snapped at Armand, who scowled even darker.
“Ah, now why did I not think of that?” Armand growled in return.
Demetri thrust me at Armand, who quickly clamped a hand down on my other arm. Instantly my body began to fill with an icy coldness of the likes I’d never felt before, forcing my light to recede and leaving me with chattering teeth.
“Wh-what d-did you d-do?” I chattered, unable to stop my body from shaking. The icy coldness ran through my veins, encompassing every inch of my body until I was numb from the inside out. Judging by his evil grin, it’s exactly what Demetri intended.
“They used black magic on you, Willa, forcing your powers into an icy hibernation. You go too far, Demetri.” Braeden’s face was a mask of fury, his voice dropping low and menacing.
“I’ve not gone far enough. You seem awfully content on tossing around orders tonight, Braeden. I suggest you reconsider your position,” Demetri spoke, an almost gleeful expression on his face.
His words drifting away on the wind, shadows began to move in the surrounding darkness, and I swallowed as four newcomers came into view. Darkly dressed with the same pasty skin and hallowed faces, they stared at Braeden and I like we were on the dessert menu.
Undaunted by their arrival, Braeden swirled his sword in hand while rotating on the balls of his feet while keeping the players in view. “Four to one? Really? You must be losing your touch, Demetri.”
Demetri smirked. “Hardly. I’ve seen you in battle enough times to know not to underestimate you.”
The vampires slowly circled Braeden, their snarling lips pulled back to reveal their fanged teeth. My stomach rolled and nausea rose in the back of my throat. This was bad. As in really, really bad. And it was my fault for having run off in the first place. Focus, Willa, focus. If Braeden was right, then my powers weren’t gone, they were just frozen. I needed to focus inward and draw them back out again. Preferably before we became the main course.
Braeden’s sword sliced through the air just a vampire made a leap at him, razor-sharp claws narrowly missing their mark. The vampire howled in pain as the sword sliced him clean in half, its body dropping to the ground where it instantly turned into a pile of dust. The wind kicked up and blew the dust pile away, the ashes circling Braeden’s muscular form as he prepared for the next attack.
The amusement on Demetri’s face began to fade as Braeden quickly took out another vampire just as easily, leaving two Underworlders left to circle him.
“You fools!" Demetri snarled, furious. "Don’t just stand there and let him turn you into dust. What are you waiting for?”
One of the remaining vampires spared him a glance, lips pulled down in a frown. “We didn’t sign on to fight a Guardian, Demetri. This wasn’t part of the plan.”
Interesting. Whatever plan they were discussing, I’m guessing it wasn’t the good for your health kind of thing.
“Rid yourself of the Guardian and his blood is your reward,” Demetri said dismissively, giving me a cursory glance when I gasped. “Fear not, my dear. We have far greater ideas in store for you.”
Using his index finger, he traced a small path down the side of my arm, his eyes casting a silvery glow over me. Unable to feel his touch, I glanced down, startled to see a trail of blood following his index finger. I jerked away from him, horrified when he lifted the finger to his lips to lick the blood away, his eyes snapping shut on a wave of pure ecstasy.
“She is exquisite, Armand. We shall have to be careful to keep her for a while,” he purred. His eyes were glowing red when they reopened, and I'd seen enough vampire movies to know he was in the throes of bloodlust.
Horrified, I tried to step back, but my frozen feet made me stumble, and I fell with a bone-jarring jolt onto the cement. That would definitely leave a bruise in the morning. If I lived to see the morning, that is. I looked up to find the two vampires standing over me.
“There’s nowhere to go, Little One.” Armand rubbed his hands together, eyes fixated on the blood dripping down my arm. No, I refused to let this happen. I dug my heels into the ground, slowly backing away from their predatory stares as I tried, once again, to reach inward to find my powers.
“Now that is definitely no way to treat a lady,” Braeden spoke from behind Armand.
Armand’s face contorted from excitement to surprise as he glanced down to look at the sword that was now protruding from his chest. With a sickening gurgle he fell to the side, his body already turning to dust before it hit the ground.
Braeden stepped up onto the sidewalk, holding a hand down to help me up. I slid my icy fingers into his warm hand, almost sighing in relief when he pulled me into his side. With the other vampires gone and only Demetri remaining, his face wore a combination of fury and dismay that the tables had turned. Braeden leapt forward and pressed his sword against Demetri's neck. To his credit, Demetri didn’t flinch as his skin sizzled against the blade, his eyes locked with mine.
"I’m only going to give you one chance to tell me the truth, though Goddess knows I’d love to split you in two for making her bleed. Who let you into the city?” Braeden asked quietly, the deadly softness of his voice more chilling than the ice running through my veins.
Demetri slid Braeden a sideways glance, a mocking smile on his lips. “Do it, you’ll get no information from me. There are higher powers at work here, Guardian, and not everything is as it seems. Just remember that when you turn me into a pile of dust at your feet.”
Braeden gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching as he pressed the blade harder against Demetri’s neck. My heart wrenched in my chest, my mind unable to compare the warrior before me to the sweet Guardian I had come to know. Gone was the tender smile that rose readily to his lips, as was the golden shimmer of his eyes that made my pulse pound. All were replaced with an unyielding fierceness that both frightened and intrigued me at the same time. I knew the war
rior and Guardian were one in the same, that all along this is who Braeden was, yet it also made me painfully aware that I have no idea who the real Braeden Mathieson is.
“This is your last chance,” he warned, the gleam in his eyes almost daring Demetri to keep his mouth shut.
Demetri shrugged, unaffected by Braeden’s words. “Do it, Guardian. I grow tired of waiting.”
In one fluid motion, Braeden slid his sword home, the wicked blade severing Demetri’s head from his body. I gasped in horror, jumping away from the gruesome scene as bile rose in the back of my throat. Before I could turn away, the body and severed head had already turned to dust to be carried away on the wind, which did little to calm my rolling stomach.
I doubled over and gagged, my mind and stomach unable to take the death and destruction it had witnessed tonight. I wasn’t cut out for this kind of life. How was I supposed to save the world when killing vampires affected me like this?
I sensed, rather than saw Braeden kneel next to me, the warmth of his hand soothing my back as he gently brushed the hair from my cheek. "Just breathe, Willa. Let it all out.”
“H-how could you just…do that? You killed him, Braeden,” I spoke in a bare whisper, barely able to meet his gaze. Braeden was a killer. Is that what it meant to be a Guardian, to have death and destruction follow wherever you went?
His face contorted into a combination of frustration and sadness. I knew his frustration was due in part because I didn’t understand this lifestyle in the least. I couldn’t help it. The world I grew up in frowned down on killing people, good or bad. It wasn’t something I could just turn off at whim. “He was from the Underworld, Willa. It’s my job to send Underworlders back to where they’ve come.”
“It’s your job to kill people.” It was more of a statement rather than a question, but he nodded in confirmation.
“Underworlders aren’t human, Willa. Without a Lightkeeper, it falls to the Light Council to keep the balance between humans and the Underworld. Most humans aren’t aware that the stories about things going bump in the night are more than just fairy tales, and we work hard to keep it that way. So when the Council catches wind of a rogue group of Underworlders wreaking havoc in the human world, they dispatch a Guardian to handle it.” He slid his hands under my arms to help me to my feet. “Can you stand?”