Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1)

by Alessandra Jay

  Chapter 31

  It’s Not Safe

  With a pit in my stomach I round the corner and get hit with the strongest stench of vile garbage. I gag from the intensity of it. It’s so thick that I have to slow my skateboard down, giving me time to notice the three humongous and hideous monsters hiding in the shadows. I jump off at the perfect moment to quietly run behind the mailbox without being noticed. As I peek over the side, I begin to feel my hands shake when I realize what I'm looking at. There are three demons standing on the sidewalk. They look different than the big ogre-like one from the other night.

  These are lanky and disfigured and just plain gross. Their skin looks like it’s covered in blisters, and their hair sits in patches on their heads. The horns are where their eyebrows would be, and they’re small, but they look lethal. They curl up and end at a sharp point, causing me to cringe. “Shut up. We must wait for the signal,” one of them gurgles out. Just then, my phone sings its classical song, causing the three demons to turn quickly in my direction as I fumble with my phone to silence it. In my hurry, I see that it’s Evan calling. When he hangs up and the song finally ends, I take a deep breath and bravely peek back around the corner. The demons are gone. I turn back around and open my phone to call him back, but I receive a message from him before I hit the send button:

  EVAN: I'M AT THE CAFE, LOVE. WHERE ARE YOU? MACK SAID YOU LEFT FEELING SICK. ARE YOU OKAY? PLEASE CALL ME.

  A puddle of slimy water drips onto my screen. And as slowly as I can, I lift my head to see one of the demons perched on top of the mailbox, as it stalks my every move. I feel my heart race as I try to think of a way to protect myself. Instantly I find my power and cast my blade to my hand. When the demon sees it appear, it gives me the scariest sneer. I wince when I see its sharp rotting teeth. Quickly thinking, I focus on Evan. And linking our minds, I send a hasty message to him, “I was on my way home. Just around the corner from the cafe, three demons. Hurry.”

  I'm not sure if he got the message, and I didn't have time to try again. The two other demons jump down in front of me as the third peels itself off of the mailbox. It slithers its way directly behind me. My eyes tear from the horrid smell as it opens its mouth to give me its threat. “We’ve been waiting for you, caster.” It disgustingly spits out. It brings its thin blistery fingers to my neck, and it moves my hair to the side. When it comes in contact with my skin, it jumps back in pain. “Bitch!” It hisses. The other two demons grunt and look at the one who jumped back. “What the hell was that?” All three demons look confused, but only for a moment. They begin to move forward to complete the mission they were sent on. But the demon behind me sucks in a breath, causing the other two to stop. “She has the Mark of the angel, brothers. We must bring her in alive.” It says in awe. My eyes grow as I watch the two demons in front of me give me a matching sneer, just like the first one did.

  I'm more thankful for my dad’s self-defense training at this moment than I ever have been in my life. The two demons in front of me rush to tackle me at the same time. But as they're coming towards me, I use the mailbox as leverage and push off, tucking myself into a small ball and rolling forward, right past them. Their heads collide. And I think I’ve just pissed them off because they both growl with repulsive foaming drool coming out of their mouths. “I'm coming, Scarlet.” Evan’s soothing voice sounds in my mind. Relieved now that I know help is coming, all I have to do is distract them. In the distance, I hear tires screeching against the pavement, and I know it’s my Anima Partem coming to save me.

  In my brief moment of distraction, the demons seized the opportunity to suddenly attack again. As I move to avoid their long claws and counter attack with my blade, I was a second too slow. My arm begins to burn as I stumble out of the way. I look down to see a scratch going down the entire length of my upper left arm. There is green muck oozing out of the open wound, and it burns so much that I can’t hold back the shriek of pain. Adrenaline fills my veins as I stand up straight. In a stare off with the repulsive monsters, I wait for them to regroup and come in for another run at me. I know they're going to leap and swipe with their long claws. It appears that’s their method of attack because they’ve done it twice already. And just on time, one of them attempts to leap over, swipe and cut me. This time I stay where I am, only I bend down so I'm kneeling on one knee and await the exact moment, when the demon is close enough to strike. When it sees that I'm not going to move, it grunts, but it doesn't know I’ve already planned my attack and counter-attack for the other demons.

  An inch away from my face, I jab the blade forward, directly between its horns and into its head. It goes limp as I quickly dislodge the blade from its bubbling body. It melts into the cement, leaving behind a muddy shadow. The other two demons growl and begin their attack. I tuck and roll out of their way again, and this time I decide to be the first to strike. Running towards the demon on my left, and at the same time finding my power to cast an attack on the demon to my right, I think of a light double-headed battle ax slicing its bulbous head clean off of its shoulders. When my blade comes in contact with the demon on my left and pierces its temples, I flick my wrist to cast out my invisible ax.

  Just as the demon next to me thuds lifelessly to the ground, the other demon’s head rolls to my feet. My arm still burns, so I look down to see the damage. It looks like I'm going to need stitches and a lot of antibacterial meds. It sends another pang of burning pain through my arm, and it’s just enough to cause me to drop to my knees. When I hit the floor, I fall in a dark pool of slimy muck but then I feel a euphoric electric lava run down my spine. And I hear footsteps running towards me just as my eyes fall closed from the pain. I know I have a small smile on my face, knowing it’s Evan and I'm going to be safe.

  “Scar, I'm here,” he says frantically. I can hear him clearly, and I can feel that he’s lifted me into his arms. “Love, please. Talk to me,” he begs, as I feel him run. I try to open my eyes or even move my lips to respond but nothing happens. I opt for mind speak as he places me inside of his SUV. When I hear his door close, I focus on him and reply my message. “I think I'm okay. One of them scratched my arm. It burns,” I groggily tell him. He sucks in a breath as he notices my wound. “Damn it!” He shouts. I hear him snap his fingers as a warm and wet towel appears on my forehead. “I'm taking you to my house. Stay with me, Scar. Please.” He pleads. “I love you,” is the last thing I have the energy to say before I completely black out.

  ***

  Waking up, I groan as I try to roll onto my side. The slight pain in my arm stops me from moving. I sit up straight when I realize the burning is gone. “Scarlet?” Evan whispers, as he walks out of the bathroom. He walks quickly to my side with nothing but sweatpants on. I feel my cheeks get hot as I check out his muscular body. I see the gorgeous smile form on his face as he places a kiss on each of my cheeks. “Glad to see you're coming around. It looks like you're going to be okay,” he says with a concerned look on his face. I shyly bury my face in my hands as I mumble my inquiries. “What happened?” Evan takes my hands away from my face and holds them in his hands. “You, Scar, is what happened. There is no doubt in my mind that you are the perfect person to lead us in this fight. You took on and annihilated three level eight demons all on your own without any demon training whatsoever. And you only came out with a scratch. You are unbelievable, love,” he compliments me.

  “It feels a lot worse than a scratch,” I admit. I close my eyes, savoring his light touch. “Sorry about your bed, by the way.” I apologize to him, as I begin to smell the repulsive odor of the demons again. “Don't worry about my bed. I can have it back to normal in a snap. And, well, the scratch probably feels worse because the demon that gave it to you laced its nails with poison. From what I can tell, the poison is caster-made,” he says. I didn't realize how much this affected Evan, and I open my eyes to see his jaw clenched tight. “Caster-made? Could it be the dark coven? How did they find me?” I begin to panic. “Relax, love. Don't get yourse
lf worked up. I just stitched you back together. You don't want to reopen the wound, trust me. I’ve drawn you a bath. Why don't you get undressed and head into the bathroom? I’ll be back in five minutes with tea. We can continue our conversation in there,” he says, as he places a soft kiss on my forehead. Nodding my head, he slowly stands. He leaves with a concerned look in his eyes, causing tears to escape mine.

  I walk into the bathroom, and the first thing that hits me is the strong scent of apples. It’s so intense that it instantly makes me feel safe. The smell helps me relax as I peel my sticky clothes off of my body. Sitting on the edge of the bath and dipping my hand in through the bubbles to the hot water, the temperature is so nice that it beckons me to go in, slowly melting in and moaning as the water envelopes my tense body. Just then the door opens, and Evan walks in with a smile on his face and a tray of hot tea. “I knew you’d like a bath,” he says sweetly, as he takes a seat on the chair next to the tub. “It’s heavenly, Evan. Thank you.” I tell him as he places the tray on the ledge of the tub, preparing a cup. “This tea is going to help get the poison out of your body. You have to drink every drop, okay?” He instructs as I begin to feel the intensity of the calming bath. Quietly, he continues, “Would you like me to stay with you, love?” Feeling so much safer when Evan is around, I immediately nod my head.

  An hour later, I'm relaxed beyond belief and ready to get out, and I guess the day caught up with me because, without caring that Evan was sitting only inches away, I stood straight up. The bubbles began to fall down my naked body, revealing my hidden privacies. Evan stands up abruptly and fumbles as he retrieves a fluffy robe for me. I giggle as he places the robe on my back. It’s nice to know I can get him as flustered as he gets me. As I place my hands through the extremely soft fabric of the robe, I moan my pleasure. Evan clears his throat, clearly still mystified. One foot at a time, I step out of the tub and the soft small carpet beneath my feet feels plush between my toes. Evan opens the door and leads me back to his now clean bed, waiting for me to get in first. Sliding in, I fall back and savor the comfort. He wraps his arms around me, completing the totality of the effect. It was so splendid that the day must have caught up with me and caused me to fall asleep instantly.

  ***

  Waking up, I stretch in Evan’s king-size bed and look at the window to see that it’s dark out. The clock on my phone reads midnight, and Evan isn't in bed with me. Curious and afraid to be alone, I quickly get to my feet and race to the door. Walking down the stairs I begin to feel the electric lava flow down my spine and turn the corner to see him leaning over piles of papers. He looks really focused. I almost feel guilty for disturbing him. “Evan?” I quietly ask. Startled, he stands straight up and the papers fall to the ground. “Scar, are you okay? What’s wrong?” He asks, concerned about me and not the mess of papers that just fell. “I'm fine. I woke up and didn't see you. Got a little worried,” I say, sheepishly. He walks up to me and takes my face in his hands, bringing his soft lips down onto mine, then leading me to the couch.

  With a flick of his wrist, the mess of papers disappears into thin air. “I didn't mean to disturb you from what you were doing.” I apologize, as I tuck my feet under my thighs. “I was just fixing some things from the Village. Nothing more important than you, love,” he says, as he puts his arm around me and tugs me into his chest. “Everything is going to be okay, Scarlet. I know fighting those demons was scary, but you did it. And you killed them with such expertise. I knew you were taught at a young age, but I didn't know you were that skilled. With only a few training sessions, I know you'll exceed anything our world has ever seen,” he says with fervor.

  Numbly shaking my head in disagreement, I softly reply. “I know I killed them, and I know I'm strong enough to do it again, but it happened so fast today. I wasn't prepared to feel that kind of panic. They were waiting for me. They said it themselves. When I first saw them, they didn't see me yet, and I heard one of them say ‘Wait for the signal.’” Evan slightly stiffens beside me as he answers with concern. “With that new information, we can possibly single out who might have been targeting you. Scarlet, I know you don't want to hear this, but I think you should stay in Eden, at least until the Caster Matches are over. Which, by the way, has been moved up to the following day.”

  Cutting him off, I sadly ask, “What about classes and work?” He looks sad for me, and I’m not sure I like it. “You won’t miss much, especially now that things are on a slight pause with the suicide that occurred on campus. Now would be ideal. After you find your coven, you'll be much safer to roam the mortal world however you please. Is that okay, love?” He is right, of course. “Okay.” I answer quietly. If I thought I missed my family and my roommates before, now I know it’s going to be extra painful.

  Evan

  Nothing breaks my heart more than to see how frightened Scarlet is. I should have been there with her. She wouldn't have had to go through that alone. I blame myself. Although, I believe after she gets through the initial shock, this will make her stronger. Distracting her from her daunting thoughts, I lift her hand and lead her back into my bedroom. With a confused look on her face, she quietly awaits my next move. Gently sitting her on the end of the bed, I take the seat beside her. Snapping my fingers, I cast my caster’s chest to appear. She sucks in a breath and slowly falls to the floor to kneel in front of it, as I place my hand on the engraved E on the front latch to cast it open. The lid of the chest slowly lifts halfway, and I look over at Scarlet, giving her the okay to go inside. She lifts the lid fully open, and I hear her whisper. “Wow.” She leans back on her feet and brings her hand up to cover her mouth. Chuckling at her reaction, I can’t help but ask. “Why are you so surprised, love?” She looks up at me with a bewildered expression. “Well, I expected to see some weapons here and there, but it’s completely filled to the top with armament. We could defeat the Dark Coven solely with your chest,” she jokes.

  It’s true. The chest is completely filled to the brim. But not every space is filled with weaponry. I wave my hand over the open chest, and the weapons levitate in front of us. She leans back up on her knees as she watches them one by one place themselves in a neat pattern on the floor. “Now look,” I instruct her. She tears her eyes away from the covered floor and returns them to the chest. I watch her eyes roam over all things precious to me. Only two weapons remain inside. “Your dad gifted me those katanas in our first battle against demons together. I will always cherish them.” I lift them out and place them on the floor next to us. Next, I grab my wand that’s in its casing and hand it to her. I’ve seen it thousands of times, but I’ve never seen it through new eyes. The glass casing around my wand is engraved with flames, beginning at the bottom and turning into smoke on the top.

  I wave my hand and my wand begins to levitate out of the tube and into my waiting hands. Handing it to her and watching her carefully turn it over, gazing at the elaborate design. Feathers of all sizes are etched into the red wood. I never understood why this wand chose me, but now I think I know. It was preparing me for Scarlet and this fight against the Dark Coven. “This is beautiful, Evan,” she says in awe, as she continues to pull items out of my chest. My book of shadows has the same feather design as my wand. “Feathers?” She asks quietly. “The day I got my wand, I was confused the moment I saw it. I never understood the significance of the feathers. I thought they were beautiful, though. So I designed the book to be the exact match. Since meeting you, I now know why,” I answer her honestly.

  Her cheeks begin to get red, and I can’t help but kiss her. Suddenly my home phone rings, interrupting our kiss. It’s late. Who could be calling? Scarlet gets to her feet rapidly, still jumpy from the demon ambush. I answer the phone that’s on my bedside table and walk back to Scarlet’s side. “Evan? Is that you?” A man’s muffled voice sounds on the other end of the line. “Who is this?” I ask. “It’s Rick. The reception is terrible here. Hold on,” he says, as the line goes silent for a moment. I take that moment t
o tell Scarlet it’s her father, and she takes the phone out of my hand. Putting it on speaker, we sit on my bed and wait for his return. The phone beeps, and Rick comes back, sounding a lot more clear. “There. That should be better.” He placed a cast on the line. “We’re at the portal now, on our way back to Eden. We didn't have much searching to do. The casters on the island were all together in one village, and it was easy to pick out the more suitable ones to compete. I received a message from Ava about what happened with Scar and the Takin demons. Is she okay?” His voice suddenly gets a sad tilt to it.

  “You would have been proud to see her take them all down. I got there a second too late, but not late enough to see the damage she did to them. She only came out with a scratch,” I say proudly, turning her cheeks red again. “I'm right here, dad. I'm okay. Thanks to you and Dimitri teaching me how to defend myself. I feel ready to prepare for what’s to come.” She says, suddenly getting a newfound confidence.

  “Wow, honey. You make me so proud. I'm sorry you had to go through that. But, by the way it sounds, you had it covered. Scarlet, I love you and I am so honored to be your father,” he says, causing fresh tears to surface in her beautiful gray eyes. “Thanks, Dad. I love you, too. I'm going to Eden tomorrow until the Matches are over. We think it’s the safest place to be right now. Will I see you guys there?” She asks hopefully. “You’ll definitely see me, but Dimitri is going straight to New York tonight. He found himself a Latin caster, and he’s oddly smitten with her. After only a day, he invited her to come back with us for a visit. I mean, he’s attached to her hip. I don't know. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow, hon. I'm glad to hear my little warrior took down three level eight demons all on her own. You sure know how to make your dad proud. I have to go. This is a rowdy set of casters, and I want to get them to the Sisters’ grounds as soon as possible, especially now that Dimitri has left. See you tomorrow, goodnight guys.” And the line dies.