“Oh my God, you’re serious.” Her eyes widened.
“Of course, I’m serious,” I laughed.
“But why? Why me?” she stuttered. Her eyes were intently searching mine for answers.
“I have to do something quite important. If there are spies in the allies, I need it to appear as if I am still here. Nobody can know it is you.” I pointed out as she started shaking her head.
“How? How is it possible?” She wasn’t grasping the extent of what I was saying.
“With this.” Mona held up an amulet similar to the one I was wearing. “It’s been enchanted. As long as you wear it, you will appear as her.” She pointed at me, and I just stood there, staring at her. Was it that simple?
“So, I wear that, and everyone will think I’m her? What about my powers? I only control Hell’s fire; I cannot control Heaven’s flame.” She had to sit down. Was I entrusting too much in this small were?
“Everything you need is in the amulet. As long as you wear it, you will have the ability to do all the things that Dawn herself can do.” Mona was trying to get the girl to understand, but I still wasn’t entirely convinced it was working.
“Where will I have gone?” she asked in a meek voice.
“You will have been charged with a mission. A special one that only you and she knew about. A simple explanation is you had to leave at the last moment.” Mona smiled. Her plan still seemed too simple, but even then, the most straightforward plans seemed to work. Don’t overthink it, Dawn.
“What if we go to battle before she gets back?” Kelly was concerned more about letting me down than actually doing it. At least that is what I gathered.
“I don’t think that will happen. If it does, Shawn will help you.” I smiled at her again, hoping to reassure her just a little bit.
“And you are sure this is going to work?” She pointed at the amulet that Mona held in her hand. “Am I supposed to sleep here?”
“Well if you are going to be me, then yeah,” I chuckled.
“Ok,” she agreed, nodding. “I’ll do it.”
“A gag spell will be put into place. You can tell nobody about this.” Mona smiled and put the amulet around the girl’s neck. There was a shimmer, and in a matter of seconds, I was looking at myself. Talk about freaky.
“How do I look?” Kelly asked. She even sounded like me.
“Beautiful,” Mona sighed. “I must say they do exceptional work.”
“Who does?” I asked, looking at her, confused.
“Nobody, honey.” She winked. I had a feeling she might tell me later if I was a good girl.
Kelly reached behind her neck and undid the clasp of the amulet. The moment it hit her hands, the mirage faded, and she was standing in front of us with a big grin on her face.
“That was amazing,” she laughed. “Do you always feel like so much power is inside of you? It’s a high like no other.”
“I’m glad you like it.” I felt my pulse calm. This was going to work; this was really going to work.
“When you leaving?” she asked, looking between the two of us.
“Tonight. After dark,” Mona said.
“What do I need to take?” I asked cautiously.
“Nothing. I have everything we are going to need back in Dallas.” Her smile was wicked and sent a chill up my spine. Oh crap! What did she have planned for me now?
“Do I need to grab anything?” Kelly asked, looking out the window.
“No. You will wear all of Dawn’s clothing. Including these horrid shoes.” Mona pointed at my Vans and stuck out her tongue.
“Hey, these are my favorite shoes,” I said defensively.
“I have an outfit for you to leave in,” Mona instructed. “Now I’m going to go and spend some time with Rose.” She brushed her hands on her hips and frowned. “She’s so much like her father it drives me insane.”
“How is it going otherwise?” I asked. I still hadn’t accepted the fact that Rose was my stepsister.
“As good as one can expect. She’s a vicious little cuss. She has it in her head that I want her forgiveness.” Mona shook her head. “I have news for her.”
“Are you sure she gets her stubbornness from her father?” I raised an eyebrow at her, and half smiled.
“She’s a late bloomer. Normally one of your kind would have their gifts under control by now. She’s all sorts of messed up.” Mona growled and walked off with a swing of her hips.
****
“You ready for this?” Shawn asked as we sat in his room on the bed, facing each other.
“I don’t know.” I put my face in my hands. “I don’t have a choice, and since it works out in our favor, I should probably do it.”
“It’s going to be hard; you know.” He handed me a shirt from his laundry basket.
“I’m sure Mona has thought of everything.” I folded the shirt and put it to my right.
“She is good at what she does, that is for certain.” He shrugged. “I just don’t know how it’s going to be you, with blonde hair and nothing like yourself.”
“I’m scared of that part. I have to be the me I could have been when I was living with her and Dad. I don’t know if I can pull it off.” I sighed angrily. I never thought I was going to have to travel back in time and change history. Even if it was only metaphorically.
“Mona will make sure the you-you are is the you-you are supposed to be.” He winked at me and handed me another shirt.
“You will take care of Kelly, right?” I asked him, and he put the pants he was holding down and looked at me like I was the one that had lost their mind.
“Nothing is going to happen to her. I think she will have fun with the whole thing. I mean, it’s not every day you get to portray a Warden. Not to mention having complete use of said Warden’s powers.” I knew Kelly was in good hands when it came to Shawn. Even though we had a rocky start, he would never let anything happen to me now.
“Thank you,” I muttered. I was forever in debt to my brother for this.
“No thanks needed.” He waved his hand. “I like Kelly; I think if I weren’t here, she would be a good one to take my place.”
“Don’t say that Shawn, you will always be here.” I didn’t want to think of the possibilities of life without Shawn. Though he had only recently found his way into my heart, I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
“I don’t plan on leaving any time soon.” He smiled. I would have liked to think he felt the same for me.
“Good,” I smiled.
“Just think of Wesley. You are finally going to be able to get him out of there.” He picked up the pants he was holding and folded them neatly.
“Yeah, that is the one thing that I am super excited about,” I laughed. “I told him I would get him out of there, and I felt like I failed him for so long. I never knew that I would be the one that brought him home after all.”
“Well, he isn’t here yet... I wonder how he will adjust.” Shawn looked at me strangely. “Do you think the two of you will get back together?”
“I don’t know. If the change in him is what I think it is, there is no way that we can be.” I felt my heart drop for a moment.
“I have known vampires to have relationships with those that have fire in their veins. Just means he has to be smart enough not to try and bite you, even playfully,” Shawn teased.
“Yeah, that image was not one I wanted.” I groaned and rolled my eyes. I only had a few more hours until dark, and then everything was going to change yet again.
He laughed and threw a sock at my face. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you too. At least we will have our psychic talks,” I smiled.
“I can’t wait to see what she does to you,” he joked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, rubbing my nose.
“She wasn’t always the perfect lady,” he pointed out. “As I said, I have known Mona for a very long time.”
“Why did she and
Dad get married?” I figured it was worth a shot. Now that I knew the truth, I had yet to confront my father about his current marriage.
“Well, Dad needed someone to watch out for things on the home front. He and Mona connected after he and your mother split. I don’t think it was love at first sight or anything. It took about a year for them to decide to get married. He knew she had a child, but he didn’t know with whom. Trust me; it’s not just you that is shocked about Rose.” He sighed and looked down.
“Well, I have always loved her. She made sure I had everything I could possibly want when I was growing up.” I said, leaning forward, and reaching for another shirt to fold.
“She is a good woman, yet she isn’t. If that makes sense.” He looked back up at me. There was something in his eyes.
“She said my mom met Dad through her.” I put the folded shirt on the stack beside me.
“Yeah, I don’t know the complete story,” he shrugged.
We folded the rest of the clothes in silence.
“I guess I better see Adam before I leave. I mean, he won’t know that I’m gone, but I would still like to see him,” I said, standing up once we had finished.
“Yeah, how is that going for you?” he asked. This was the first time he had mentioned the whole incident.
“I’m doing all right. He seems happy with Rose for the most part. Aside from what happened yesterday.” I shrugged. “I promise to see you again before I leave.” I leaned down and hugged my brother.
“You better!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me.
I left the room and wandered the hallway for a second. I wasn’t sure if I was going to see this place again. I might be getting Wesley out, but I might also have to be the one to stay behind. I had been weighing the possibilities in my head all day. There was a chance of failure, of course, but there was also a chance of death. Wesley or I might not make it back.
“Hey, you!” Adam’s voice rang from the bottom of the stairs. I smiled and bounded over the side of the balcony, landing on my feet at the bottom of the stairs. “Well, that was new.”
“Somewhat,” I giggled.
“Pretty sweet,” he smiled and nodded in approval.
“How are you doing?” I asked, brushing my hands off on my jeans.
“All right, I guess. Dealing with Rose’s whining. It is apparently a big deal that Mona is not only her mother but your stepmother.” He rolled his eyes. “However, her attitude did a complete one-eighty, so I think that it was a good thing.”
“Well now if she has a problem with me, we can just blame it on sibling rivalry,” I laughed. Honestly, I didn’t find it that funny. The fact that we were related by marriage made me cringe.
“That’s too funny,” he smirked. “Where you headed?”
“I was looking for you,” I said, beaming at him.
“Well, lucky for me.” He held out his arm, and I looped mine through his.
“I haven’t been able to see you at all the last few days,” I said as we walked through the field’s arm-in-arm.
“You have been so busy with training. I’ve learned some pretty cool moves myself,” he said, puffing out his chest.
“I can’t wait to see them,” I laughed as he smiled broadly at me.
“I can’t wait to show them to you.” He suddenly stopped. “I’ve meant to ask. I have some black spots in my memory about us being in Dallas.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my heart rate increasing.
“It’s probably nothing,” he sighed. I could tell it was bothering him, but he wasn’t ready to ask yet. I think he was afraid of what I would say to him.
“Black spots aren’t something to mess with,” I said, my heart pounding. If he was able to remember there were absent memories, how long would it be before he realized everything he was missing?
“I’m sure there is nothing to worry about. John hit me pretty hard, so I’m sure it’s only to be expected,” he sighed.
Chapter 23
Changes
“Dawn, it’s time,” Mona said, walking into my room an hour after sundown. I looked at Shawn and gave him a shy smile.
“Don’t worry, I will take care of her,” Shawn said, motioning to Kelly who was sitting on the other side of my bed, her hands twisted into the hem of her t-shirt. I knew she was scared; hell, I would be too. Not to sound egotistical but she had some pretty big shoes to fill.
“I told the others we are taking Kelly to the airport to send her on her quest,” Mona said softly. “This way nobody will think the wiser when she returns as you.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this.” I was shaking. I was going to be infiltrating the enemy camp dressed as a woman from a false prophecy to get Wesley out. I kept finding myself becoming increasingly nervous.
“Of course, you are!” Mona exclaimed, grasping me by the shoulders. “I would never have started this whole thing if I didn’t think you were.”
“I will talk to you soon.” I looked at Shawn, and he nodded.
“I know you will. Let me know as soon as you land.” He hugged me and took a step back, letting Kelly step to the front.
“Do you have your bag, dear?” Mona asked as Kelly pulled a duffel bag from the side of the bed. “Perfect. You two will switch clothing on the plane.”
We both nodded, and I swallowed a lump in my throat. This was it. I wasn’t going to be able to back out now the plan was in motion.
“You haven’t said what we are going to do when we get to Dallas,” I said softly.
“We will take care of that on the plane as well. Now let’s get going. No time for farewells; your mother and father are already waiting downstairs.” She turned on her heel and motioned for us to follow her. I looked back at Shawn as I took a step forward.
“Behave... Oh and come back alive.” He smiled crookedly at me before getting up from my bed and giving me one last hug.
“I love you,” I said, gripping on to his shirt tightly.
“I love you too. Now go.” He pushed me away and shooed me out of the room. I followed both Mona and Kelly down the stairs to my parents, waiting at the bottom.
“We have everything ready for you.” They were looking at Kelly, but I knew they were talking to me. “The helicopter is outside to take you to the airport. Mona will escort you as far as she can, then you are on your own. We have the utmost faith that you will be successful in your mission.” My mother smiled at Kelly and hugged her.
“We expect you to come straight home from the airport. No lollygagging around, young lady,” my father said to me, smirking.
“I promise,” I sighed, rolling my eyes for dramatic effect. We didn’t know who or what could be spying on the house. A very clever charm could possibly bypass my mother’s ability to pull the truth from anything.
“Let’s go, girls. I will call you when we get there, Damien.” She kissed my father on the cheek, and he smiled at her. “Angie.” She nodded at my mother.
In a matter of moments, we went from the hallway of the manor to the secure interior of the helicopter. Once inside, we were buckled in and flew from the house to the reserved field that housed my father’s private jet. We flew in silence, Mona looked out the side window at the patches of fields below, with her hands secured between her knees, her feet tapping. She looked as nervous as I felt. Mona took Kelly’s duffel bag and looked through it.
“I will make sure all of this gets back to you.” Mona smiled at Kelly and zipped the bag up.
“It’s everything I own,” Kelly said, softly eyeing me.
“Then I will make sure you get all of this and then some back.” Mona winked at Kelly, and she smiled. “All right, you two need to change.” I started pulling off my clothing one piece at a time, my hands shaking.
We traded clothes from outerwear straight to undergarments. I admit Kelly’s chest was a bit smaller than mine, but I managed to fasten the bra with some fiddling. By the time we had finished, Mona had reached around Kelly’s neck and sec
ured the amulet that looked identical to mine. There was a shimmer, and Kelly instantly took on my form. It gave me the chills. There is nothing weirder than seeing yourself through your own eyes.
I honestly couldn’t see why Wesley had found me attractive. I wasn’t completely unfortunate-looking, but the darkness in me was extremely apparent. Kelly smiled, and I had to look away; it was just too creepy.
“Perfect,” Mona said, pushing Kelly toward the door. “Don’t forget you are her.” She pointed at me. “When someone says Dawn, you answer.” Kelly nodded. “All right, the helicopter will take you back to the house. When you get there, stay with Shawn for a while until you feel you can handle doing it on your own.” Kelly walked away, and Mona returned to me. “Your turn.” She handed me a headband. “Put this in your hair. It will only change you temporarily to look like Kelly. Until we can get you into the house and away from the public eye.” I did as I was told and felt an odd body shift as my chest got smaller, my hips narrower, and my eyes burned as they changed violet.
“How do I look?” I asked because there was no mirror close by for me to check myself.
“You don’t look like you. Put this on.” She handed me a hat and a pair of sunglasses.
“What the hell is this for?” I asked, taking them from her and holding them in my hands.
“To keep the sun out of your eyes,” she snapped. “Just do as I say.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said harshly, putting the hat and glasses on. I looked like a dweeb.
****
When the jet landed, I was rushed into the limo, and we drove non-stop to the house, where I was pushed inside rather abruptly. Once inside, I tore the hat from my head and pulled the headband from my hair, and felt my body shift back to normal. I sighed in relief as the clothes instantly became much tighter.
“Thank God!” I moaned, breathing in deeply.
Mona looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Oh please, it wasn’t all that bad,” she sighed, taking her hat off, and letting her blonde hair fall freely.
“It was far worse than you would think,” I said, looking at her.
“It was only for a few hours. Try twenty years. Imagine what you must do when you are in the camp in a few days. You have to be something other than what you are. You have to be ruthless and uncaring, willing to break down the camp that you helped build. That is until you can get the boy out.” She winked at me and motioned for me to follow her into the spacious living room.
Wild Fire (Wardens Series Book 3) Page 20