“No, Rose, we wouldn’t. Do you know what John does to Wardens? Did hearing that he killed Krista and nearly killed Dawn not ring any bells? He would have killed you, and just for fun killed me to make a point.” Adam sighed. “I’m done dealing with this. Get your act together, or I’m gone.” I felt my heart fall. The reason for me having his memories erased was so that he could be with her without thinking of me. If he left her now all that work would be for nothing.
“What?” she pouted.
“Get balanced. I’m just heeding a warning about shifting sides. If you shift too far to one extreme, you will die because your blood is meant to be balanced. That is what Dawn has done. Losing Wesley finally put her in place.” Adam turned around. “Your people are waiting for you in the field. I suggest going now. I don’t know how much longer I can give this speech.” He nodded at me.
“Yeah, ok,” I said softly, walking away from the scene. He was saving my hide. I didn’t want to walk away; I wanted to stay there with him just in case. I knew they wouldn’t hurt him. Rose had an affection toward him that none of us understood, and Helen was just, well, Helen.
Krista met me half-way, a worried look on her face. She touched my hair, lifted my arms, and checked me for cuts. When she felt nothing had happened, she wrapped me in an enormous hug. For someone who didn’t like to be touched, I was getting used to all the hugging.
“Thank God they didn’t do it,” she sighed, grabbing my face. “The things I saw in their heads were so wicked.”
“Adam broke in and told them to get balanced. I don’t know what we can do to help them. Even though we have been this our whole lives, you and I are the only ones that seem to have grasped the need for both bloodlines,” I mumbled, looking off toward my field. I could hear the clanging of weapons, meaning that Shawn and Minerva had begun battle training.
“Why did Adam get involved?” she asked me. Her eyes were so blue they were almost gray.
“My parents let it slip when we got back from Dallas, he was supposed to be my Protector.” I shrugged, biting my lip.
“They don’t think you are ever going to get married then,” she laughed. “My mom threatened to do that with me, and I had to plead with her not to. I want to find love on my terms, not have an arranged marriage to breed.”
“What are you talking about?” I suppose I had never been told the real duties of a Protector. I always thought they were just that – meant to protect me from harm that I could not escape from on my own.
“Nothing.” She sealed her lips, looking behind her, and sighing. “I should probably get back to them.” She turned around and hurried away. I was left with the feeling I was going to have to have a talk with my parents. What had they thought would happen when they asked for Adam to be ascended?
I shook my head and turned toward the clangs. Walking briskly, I made it there in no time at all. Shawn heaved a sigh of relief on seeing me. He must have been listening in on what they were saying.
“How’s everything going?” I asked, trying to sound casual when inside I was a mess.
“Great. Your parents came through with all the weapons, so we have them working with their partners,” Shawn said, pointing toward the robotic movements of the newbies.
“That’s amazing. I wasn’t expecting anything for a few weeks.” I slid my sword from its holster and smiled. Having my blade in my hand put my nerves at ease.
“I was worried,” he said quietly so nobody but me could hear.
“Trust me, so was I,” I breathed. “Thank God for Adam.”
“He’s growing into his role. I’m proud of him for that,” Shawn shrugged before walking off and talking to Minerva. She nodded a few times before pulling her weapon from her side and taking her stance.
I stood there and watched everyone. They were committed to learning, that was for sure. If the others were practicing this hard, then there would be no worries when it came to a battle.
I thought of Wesley, alone in Miranda’s camp, being guarded by the Queen’s lapdogs. I was also worried because I had not seen Peter since Dallas. We had been here long enough for him to come back with news from Wesley. I remembered he had said if I ever needed him, all I had to do was call.
Peter, if you can hear me, can you meet me tonight in my room? I need to speak with you. I waited a few moments, thinking he was like Shawn and would telepathically get back to me. I received no response. The only way I was going to know if he got the message was that night when I walked into my room. Either he would be there, or he wouldn’t.
****
I was the last one to leave the field that night. I had stuck around in hopes of giving Helen and Rose time to cool down. I was hopeful that Adam’s speech had sparked something in them. Maybe he could make them realize their balances were slipping. I couldn’t do it, my parents couldn’t do it, and so it was all left to Adam.
I put my sword holster over my shoulder and sheathed the weapon safely inside. Turning to walk away, I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I fought to get the sword free; I could hear them, but not see them. I was finally able to secure the weapon in my hand and set the blade aflame. This not only made me feel safer, but it also gave me the ability to see what was ahead of me. I gulped back fear as I heard a twig snap under the foot of someone, or something.
“Shit,” a male voice said, and I whirled the blade in front of me, hoping that I would be able to see who it was. “I have to get better at this sneaking around thing.” I took a deep breath; it was only Max.
“Jesus, Max, you just about gave me a heart attack,” I breathed, my heartbeat slowing.
“Can you even have those?” he asked, laughing. I shook my head at the warlock.
“Why are you sneaking around out here?” I asked, pulling the fire from the blade. I could see him by the light of the moon.
“I was looking for you.” He smiled at me.
“Why were you looking for me?” I was puzzled. It wasn’t like it was a big secret where I was. I mean, everyone knew I was in the right field, there was no need for anyone to be sneaking around.
“Something came for you today. I didn’t think that it was something you wanted to get into the wrong hands.” He handed me a large envelope. “I didn’t look in it. I just noticed the postmark was from New Mexico.”
He looked at me and back at the moon. Realization crossed his face as he created a floating orb of light to assist me in seeing what was inside.
“Photos?” I said, pulling out the papers and looking at them closely.
“Those aren’t photos,” Max said, coming up beside me and placing the orb close to my hands. “Those are drawings.”
“They are so beautiful,” I muttered, flipping from one page to the next.
“Wesley is a Harbinger. He probably draws best while in a vision. It would appear your boy has found a new way to reveal messages.” Max chuckled. “I don’t know how he is doing it, or if it is even him. This is something to be cautious about, yet at the same time, elated.”
“I can tell by the care he takes in the faces; he wants you to know who it is.” I chose a page at random. “See, this one is of a sleeping girl. Most people would think it was a random person but look at the face. It’s Helen. He’s never seen her.” I gasped.
“You think he sent these to keep them away from Miranda?” Max asked as we both looked through the drawings together.
“You know what, let’s get these back to the house. We can see better in the light.” I quickly put the drawings back in the envelope and put it at my side.
“Want me to get the others?” he asked as he grabbed the orb and crushed it.
“Naw, there is no need for them right now. Let’s try to make sense of what he has to show us.” I offered my arm to Max, and he gratefully accepted.
I enjoyed listening to Max talk. He had so many stories, and each one was climactic. I kept telling him that he needed to write them down, that he could make some money making fantasy out of truth. When we got i
nside, we went directly to the study. My mother and father were both there with their heads down on the table. Their eyes were not moving; they had blank expressions on their faces as if their souls were not connected to their body.
“They are following the Reapers. Something else came with this envelope today.” He touched my mother’s hair sweetly and felt both their necks for a pulse. “No matter how long they are not in this form, their bodies will always be here to welcome them back.”
“What else came?” I asked, looking at the two of them appearing so peaceful in their mock death.
“Mona and the entire staff from your father’s house,” Max said, rolling up his sleeves and looking at me, then at the envelope. I grinned and pulled the papers out, spreading them on the table.
“Mona’s here?” Oh man, this was going to be awkward. My mother and Mona in the same house? Who was going to wind up blind first?
“There are things about Mona you do not know. It might be time for a little history lesson. It’s not my place to give it though.” Max frowned at me and began to pore over the drawings. “Look at this one. Isn’t this what happened this afternoon?” Max pointed to an illustration of a dark-haired girl. Box bangs and shoulder-length wavy hair, pale skin, round face, but my eyes were hidden. Her opponents were holding weapons, one with long straight brown hair and the other with chin-length red hair, both with sneers on their faces.
“Yeah, almost exactly,” I frowned. I didn’t want to think about it. It was bad enough that I was avoiding the demon twins. I didn’t want them to become the center of all my conversations.
“The boy has talent,” Max said, eyeing each page carefully. “Is this Miranda?” He pointed to a pretty girl with an annoyed look on her face. Her delicate hand was placed under her chin. She was lost in thought.
“Yeah,” I said, pulling the page to the top so we could look at it. She looked the same; those mean green eyes and that tight sneer. “When I met her face-to-face, she looked like a normal girl. Dancing eyes, smiling, but that was because, in her opinion, she had won.”
“Who’s this?” He pointed to another girl standing behind her. This girl looked familiar, but I had no clue who she was, with her blonde hair and deep blue eyes.
“That’s Dawn,” Mona said, walking into the study. She pulled off her hat and looked at me, smiling. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
Chapter 21
Lineage
“Of course.” I wrapped my arms around her, and she held on to me tightly. “How is that me?” I asked, pointing back toward the table. She let me go, and I walked back over, peering at it. Max was thinking, I could tell by the way his lips kept moving.
“I suppose it is time,” Mona shouted. “Let’s get this over with, I have had a long trip today and would like to get some rest.”
My mother and father’s bodies jumped as they raised their heads from the table. I turned my head toward the door as Mitch, and the silent chauffeur marched through the study doors. I looked at my watch; it was nearly ten. I thought it was a little late for a family meeting. I saw the look on my parents’ faces, and I wanted to scream. So now what were they hiding from me?
Another woman entered after everyone. I knew her face. It hadn’t changed in the last four years. It was Bridget, the lady that so nicely helped me get from Dallas to El Paso all those years ago. The other three Wardens shuffled in, the two sour-faced ones in the rear. I could see the animosity dripping from their expressions.
“Let’s get all our stories straight and out in the open,” Mona said, taking her seat next to my father. He looked confused being between the two women. I wonder if he saw the similarities now between them.
“What is this all about?” A pissed-off Helen asked, crossing her arms. Bridget looked at her longingly, and something about it hit me; a memory of a woman playing with my bracelet, telling me one day she hoped I would meet her daughter. Her reason? Because she was just like me.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, flopping down in a seat, and looking at Bridget. Her eyes did not leave Helen’s, and I saw for the first time the similarities between the two. Helen had her eyes and mouth, the same color hair, and the same build.
“We had a feeling this would happen,” my mother said softly, not looking up from the table. “Wesley has given us the plan to get him out.”
“What? What plan? All that envelope had in it were drawings.” I looked at her, but she didn’t look up. My heart rate increased.
“First things first. For those of you that do not know me, my name is Mona Weathers. I am Damien Weathers’ wife. To his right is Angelina Weathers-Peterson, his first wife. The one thing that you should know is that I am the one that set them up.” Mona always spoke eloquently, and this was in no way different to any of our other conversations.
“What do you mean?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Your mother met your father through me.” She smiled wickedly.
“That would mean you are as old as they are,” I frowned. My father had said she had quite a few skeletons in her closet. This must be one of them.
“Yes, I was there when you were born, you know.” She grinned even wider. “In fact, I’m the one that delivered you.”
My eyes shot to my father’s. His head was up, but there was something in his eyes that told me this was all the truth. He, like my mother, would not look at me.
“You all have been lying to me? It’s one thing to hide from me my bloodline, it’s another to hide the fact that my stepmother isn’t human,” I grimaced, wishing like hell I could storm out of the room like a spoiled sixteen-year-old.
“We never meant to hurt you,” my father said softly as he looked between the women again.
“Not now, Damien,” my mother hissed, pointing at Mona who sat there staring at him.
“Let’s just start a round table here, and everyone speak and tell the others who and what you are.” She clapped her hands. “I will start. I already gave you my name; I am a demon. A wish demon to be exact.” She looked around the room.
A fucking wish demon! She had played her part well. No wonder she was always smashed by lunchtime. She had to pretend to be human, a role my father so affectionately chose for her. How incredibly messed-up this whole thing had become. I had been forced to believe Mona was a Claimed soul. That she was a human girl my father had chosen to hide his demonic lineage.
Mitch looked up and confidently smiled at me, his face glowing. “I am Mitch, butler to Mr. and Mrs. Weathers; I am a Watcher.”
“What is a Watcher?” Rose demanded. That hateful look was starting to annoy me.
Balance yourself already!
“A Watcher is an earthbound angel,” My mother replied, smiling at Mitch. I had a feeling the two of them were very close at one time.
Next came the chauffeur, the man I had never heard speak. For the first time, I heard his voice. “I am Harold; I am a Prophet.” He closed his mouth. I think it would have taken an act of the Creators to get him to speak again.
“Bridget,” my long-ago friend said. “I am merely an earthbound demon, been here for over twenty years.” She looked away from Helen.
The doors burst open, and another man came racing through. He was glistening with sweat, and he was exceptionally tall and lean. “So sorry, I’m late. My flight was delayed.” He had a British accent.
Mona groaned. “Ladies and gentlemen this is Aros, also a Watcher.” She threw her hands up and smiled. “Everyone knows these two, and, oh, Max. So long since I have seen you, how’s the family?”
“Well about half of them were destroyed by the Queen’s Army. But the other half are doing quite well.” He shrugged and gave me a reassuring squeeze.
“Good to hear.” She put her hands on her hips. “So, the reason we are here is the Harbinger boy. Someone may have tampered with his mind a little bit and given him some insight on how to get out of his prison.” She grinned, her eyes flashing for a moment. “The thing is that, for the plan to work, we n
eed everyone in this room. Plus a few that are outside right now.”
“I think we need to tell them,” Bridget spoke over her. Her eyes were pleading, and the way she kept looking at Aros made my heart pound. There was some heat going on there.
“In due time Bridget, in due time.” Mona pointed at the drawings, and I scooted them toward her. She picked up the one that Max and I had been looking at, holding it up for everyone to see. “You see, this is Miranda. Shocking I know, this is the first time many of you have seen her face. She’s quite the beauty; her mother was too,” she breathed. “Behind her, you see this pretty blonde girl. That’s Dawn. Or at least what Dawn used to look like. Miranda knows Dawn as this.” She pointed at me and sighed. “She used to have such a high fashion sense, so imagine my shock when she shows up in Dallas and looks like this. There is a prophecy that has to be fulfilled, but whatever.” Mona giggled. “Thanks to Mitch and his sleuthing skills; he found that it has been said ‘a woman with amazing power will appear and she will lead the Queen’s Army to victory.’” She laughed again.
“It’s always about Dawn, isn’t it?” Rose spat. Mona looked at her and, with grace and poise, walked over and grabbed the girl by the face. She hauled her to her feet.
“I am not like the others in this room. I have no mercy for those that I incinerate. I don’t care if we share blood or not, interrupt me one more time and I will send you to Purgatory for a millennium.” Mona let go of Rose’s face, and a very shocked woman sat back down and said nothing else the entire time.
“Now, where was I?” Mona tapped her foot. “Oh, yes. The prophecy. The thing is that we need to alter Dawn’s appearance to match what is in the drawing. This means I will have to alter the appearance of another female to make it appear that Dawn is still here. Just in case there are some spies among us. Miranda will be none the wiser when the blonde girl shows. This means you three …” She pointed at the other Wardens, “… will be gagged. You will know what is going on, but if you try to tell anyone, and I do mean anyone, about this conversation, the words won’t come out and guess who will be alerted? I have my own fine network of telepaths in this facility who will have no issues sharing with me what you say, or, well, try to say.” She walked back toward the front of the room.
Wild Fire (Wardens Series Book 3) Page 18