by R. L. Wilson
There is no need to turn around. I know it’s my so-called father.
“Let me explain,” Paul asks.
“If you thought you were my father, where were you?” I question with my back to him. I just can’t stand to look at his face.
He scuttles around me, now standing in front of me. “At first, I didn’t know you were my daughter.” His voice cracks. “Your mother was involved with Prentiss.”
I shake my head in understanding. Obviously, my mother was in love with Prentiss. That makes my breakfast bubble.
“She never told me you were mine. I asked, and she denied it saying Prentiss was your father. I put a special curse on you when you were days old. You had to be my daughter. When I look in your face, it’s a reflection of me.”
“Why didn’t you fight for me?” My jaw is tight, and my hands tremble.
“I tried! One day I came to your grandfather’s home. And you and Jeanette had disappeared. I never saw Jeanette again.”
Maybe he’s being honest. Until a couple weeks ago I had no idea I was born in New Orleans. My mother kept so many secrets. She betrayed me in more ways than one.
“Remember, your tattoo has to expand to kill Prentiss.” He grabs my hand. “I love you.” He places my hand over his heart.
I immediately feel a calmness, a subtle burn of pain pulsating from his chest to my arm. I understand what he’s doing. Out of love for me or hatred for Prentiss, he is transferring power from his soul to my mortal being.
Slowly he descends, fading away. At that moment, I know we are bound by blood and magic.
Chapter Thirteen
Trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, I lean back in the chair. I hear the gang leaders going on and on about the battle with Prentiss, but I’m not listening. Talking about it is not helping with a plan. I’m trying to wrap my head around what just happened. Then again, I remind myself that they are passionate about getting rid of Prentiss. Luckily, we all survived that battle.
Morgan waves me over, an intense frown on her face. Then she walks back to her bedroom. She must be sick of the racket. She fears some supernaturals and having them in such close proximity might be more than she can bear. I told her before that no one will bother her. Not as long as I’m breathing.
I drag myself to her bedroom. My body aches as much as my heart.
She’s sitting across the bed with her eyes glued to the laptop.
“What’s wrong? Are they too loud?”
“No, they’re fine. I want to show you something.” With a rapid flick of a key, the computer shows the camera outside the house.
She rewinds the video to me and Paul having a conversation, right at the point where he put my hand over his heart. There were sparkles and a rainbow of colors radiating from his chest. I didn’t notice the rainbow before. I realized he transferred some magic to me, but the shattering fragments of light are like a transfer of his essence. Almost like his existence. He must have a strong love for me.
Morgan gasps and then glares my way. “He’s giving his life to you.”
He did, and I can’t be mad at him anymore. Besides, this is part of the horrible betrayal from Momma. I had the right to choose if I want my father in my life. She robbed me of that choice.
“Wait,” I yell, “rewind that.” Goosebumps race up my arms when I see what appears to be Prentiss on the screen. A blistering ache travels down my chest.
Well, I’ll be damned, it’s his shadow. My mouth drops in amazement.
“Is that Prentiss?” Morgan asks, pulling the screen closer to her face.
“Yep,” I reply with my eyes glued to the screen. His shadow stumbles around, appearing to be lost. Not sure how he got separated from Prentiss, but I’m not complaining.
Being separated from his shadow only makes him weaker. Easier for me to destroy him.
“Now we have the upper hand. I’ll do some research on killing an immortal.”
“I can do that,” Morgan offers.
We trot back to the kitchen where everyone is gathered. Morgan plops the MacBook on the table, shaking the vase.
“Listen up, everybody,” Morgan demands.
She loves being in charge. In the pit of my being is the statement Paul made: embrace the darkness.
I tap Kato on the shoulder then walk to the living room, away from the jibber-jabber.
I take a seat on the couch. I need to relax, and my bones ache. After seeing the separation of Prentiss’s shadow, there’s no time for a break. The time to strike is now.
But Kato stands glaring at me. I’m sure he notices the serious look on my face. “Paul said two things. They don’t sit well with me. It’s like he was trying to leave me a clue.”
Kato takes a seat next to me. “What did he say?” he questions, not even blinking.
“To destroy an immortal, I need balance and the darkness would help.” I shrug, wincing in pain. “I know it makes little sense.”
His mouth shoots open and his blazing gaze trails my face. “No,” he shakes his head, “That makes perfect sense.” He jumps to his feet, grabbing me by the arm. “Come on, I have an idea.”
He races me out of there so fast I can’t tell him the wonderful news. Prentiss and his shadow have divorced.
After traveling for nearly an hour to the outskirts of Detroit we come upon a more impoverished area. I’ve never been here. It’s gloomy and dark. Even the people are sad. I fidgeted with the idea of the apocalypse. The end of times must be similar.
“This place is so poor and dingy. Are we still in Detroit?”
“Yes, this area is named Darkstown,” Kato responds.
We exit the car, and a stench of garbage passes my nostrils. The smell matches the look. There should be a caution sign before entering this town. You enter at your own risk.
I move closer to Kato, grabbing his arm. No one ever talks about this place. This is the wicked part of your being that you hide. Detroit’s little secret.
“How will this gruesome town help?”
“This land has been here for centuries. It’s the forgotten land. The sun never shines here, daylight never comes.”
The people are like zombies. Expressionless faces, no interaction with each other, just sad looks with an intense stare. The leaves on the trees are brown. There’s no grass, no signs of life. The entire land appears dead.
“Your father told you to use the darkness,” he says. I nod my head. “This is the darkness.”
“Yeah, but how can I use this dark town?”
“Tap into your magic, and instead of healing the land, destroy it.”
“What? Are you insane?” I roll my eyes while steam floats from my mouth. This is the craziest shit he’s suggested yet.
“No, I’m not.” He grabs my hand and gazes into my eyes. His eyes are filled with hope and seriousness. “You need to destroy the people too.”
“Forget it!” I snatch my hand from his. “There’s no way I’m destroying these people.” My blood boils. How can he suggest murder? He’s an idiot.
“Do you want Prentiss dead?”
“Of course, more than life itself. However, I’m not going to murder others to get him,” I choke.
“To do good, you must do bad,” he says
I rest my hands over my eyes to hide the tears. My face has become wrinkled with frowns. So much anger fills my being, I can hardly contain it. All I can do is cry. I weep for the poor, innocent people.
Kato embraces me. I pound on his chest and continue sobbing. "I have to take innocent lives to rid the world of Prentiss.” Sniffling, I back away from Kato.
I close my puffy eyes, trying to reach into my magic to destroy the land. My eyes stay closed for what seems like an eternity. I just can’t do it. There has to be another way.
The ground trembles. I lower my head, realizing it’s my entire body trembling. The earth is still. An agonized scream exits my mouth.
“I can’t! I can’t!” I yell as I race to the car. I hop in the passen
ger seat and slam the door. Hyperventilating, I roll the window down. I can’t catch my breath. Tears shoot from my eyes. My legs feel paralyzed. My quest for revenge is turning me into a savage with a foul heart.
Kato slips into the driver’s seat. He rests his hand on mine. “It’s ok, Harmony. We will search for a different way. You are not cut out for darkness.”
Chapter Fourteen
As we step into the apartment, I have an ominous feeling of emptiness. I let everyone down. First Momma, and now my city. But I wouldn’t be able to live with blood on my hands. Killing innocent people is selfish as hell. If I’m going to become a murderer, it will be for a damn good reason.
The loud talking from the kitchen tells me the gang still has no plan. My head hurts from the loud noise. The headaches are getting more intense and frequent. The stress will kill me if I don’t get this vampire soon. I’m overwhelmed and I need to sleep. As I get closer to the kitchen, there the mayor sits. His presence causes my fear to kick into top gear. Damn, what do I say now?
The mayor twists in his chair, and I gasp. His beady eyes see right through me. Does he know I couldn’t accept the grim task?
“Harmony, how is everything going?” he questions.
My eyes bulge and I give him a sheepish smile. “Fine.” My eyes dart around the room, trying to avoid eye contact. I’m spewing a bunch of lies. I have no plans.
Kato steps in. “As soon as we find Prentiss, he’s toast.”
I’m quiet while Kato speaks. Grateful he saved me as I nearly stumbled over my words.
“Great. One of my agents has eyes on Prentiss as we speak.” He straightens his glasses.
Okay, I’m dead.
“What’s the plan?” he questions.
Morgan grabs her notebook and shows him the attack plan that she has come up with.
He reviews it, nodding his head as if he understands. Then he slips the notebook on the table and turns his fiery gaze to me.
“We need the smoking gun. This isn’t it,” he groans with wrinkled eyebrows.
He’s expecting a lot from a teenager. Heck, I don’t know everything and I’m not the best planner. But the mayor thinks I’m the mastermind behind everything. I’m only a teenager who wants revenge. Oh, and my life back to normal. That’s not possible though, not anymore.
Morgan did her best, but her book is full of plans that depend mostly on fighting and using magic. We’ll lose that battle. Prentiss’s magic is stronger than all of ours combined.
Then it hits me. “His shadow has separated from him,” I mutter. However, my chest is tight. I’m expecting the mayor to ask where his shadow is. I know it’s lost but don’t know where he went.
Everyone freezes in place. “How do you know that?” he questions.
“I saw his shadow.” I dart my gaze over at Morgan.
Morgan grabs her computer and sashays back to the kitchen. She slips the computer on the table and shows the footage.
“Great, this is outstanding work.”
“He’s vulnerable. Now is the time to attack.” I report.
“Let’s go,” Big Sam growls.
We park on the corner of Blake Street. I glance over at Kato as he pulls the key out of the ignition.
I notice two things: there is no one outside, and the clouds are thick and gray. Rain will be upon us any second now.
“Where is he?” I look over my shoulder as the other cars are parking.
“The address we got from the mayor is down the street.”
“We are trying to creep in without him knowing?” I question.
“Yeah, the mayor says it’s a three-story apartment building.” He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. He slips it over to me.
I review the address. “What’s the plan?” I ask as I see a drop of rain hit the windshield.
“We will split up. Come through every entrance on the first floor, including windows. If he’s in there, we will get him,” Big Sam explains. The stare of death graces his face then he grabs the door handle. He’s ready for war. If I were Prentiss, I’d run like a chicken.
Any second the rain will be our enemy. It makes everything a bit of a challenge, but not impossible. Besides, Prentiss may least expect us to come in a rainstorm.
Kato opens the door, hesitates, and then turns toward me. I sense his sexy gaze upon my face. Peeking up at him, my eyes alight on his sleepy brown eyes. His eyes are so loving. “I love you,” he states.
He steps out of the car before I can respond. I’m in shock. I guess I assumed he had potent feelings for me. However, I never imagined he would speak it. Is he saying he loves me because we are about to go into a war that could kill us both? I nervously fidget my hands. I’m not thinking about the war, but considering the thought of me and Kato being more than friends.
My gaze sweeps over the group all huddled together discussing the plan. I’ll wait for Kato to come and tell me. Furthermore, I have my own plans. If I can make it to the basement, I can search for the rest of the shadows there. I need to free the shadows and make Prentiss as weak as possible.
The rumble of thunder rings out as Kato steps back into the car.
“There’s two men.” He holds up two fingers. “One at the front entrance. The other at the side door. But the back is free and clear.”
“Ok.” I nod in understanding.
“We will approach the men. Most of us are going through the windows. You sneak in through the back door.”
I shake my head with a bit of doubt. I’m thinking about getting killed going in by myself. But I don’t give a fuck if I die. I have nothing to return to.
I jump out of the car and march in the group’s direction. There are more powers I have yet to unlock, but the ones I have better be sharp today.
A sudden bright light from a bang of thunder pounds at the same time a few drizzles of rain wet the ground. “We better hurry,” I inform the group.
Tiffany pulls her jacket over her head. Her eyes twinkle with a bit of enthusiasm as she glances at Kato. I appreciate the bitch helping me but she better keep her gaze away from Kato. Besides, she has a boyfriend and a baby at home. She doesn’t want to see my inner witch today.
“Let’s get down the street. Number 1242. We’ll walk through the alley,” Big Sam explains. He has his game face on. I could swear his muscles got bigger overnight.
“We need to go in quick, hit our target, and get out,” Kato barks.
Quietly stepping through the alley gives me goosebumps. I had the feeling that they would discover us before we make it to the house.
The wind hollers, blowing dust and my hair across my face. I want to scream; we should wait for another day. But Big Sam and the crew with us are fifteen strong and racing toward the house. The drizzle becomes a constant flow of rain.
No turning back now. I eye the back door, contemplating the lock. It isn’t the standard lock I’m used to picking. It is a deadbolt with all the bells and whistles. Prentiss had a professional install this lock. He never knows who is coming for his ass. Or it’s a magical ward.
A thunderous crash of the shattering of a window sounds. I slip a pin in the key, picking the lock, then push my soaked blonde hair away from my face. I jiggle the lock and push but it doesn’t move. After giving it another hard push, I try my magic. I get an electric buzz shooting through my hands and grasp the handle. Come on, open the door. I get a fizzle followed by a pop. I jump back. It’s definitely been warded. But the lock just popped, I think. I push with my arm. It’s slightly easier than before. I take three steps back and give it a hard kick. And the door flies open.
I step through the door into a pitch-black entryway.
Chapter Fifteen
I advance and trip, falling onto concrete steps and scraping my left knee. Shit, I will need some light. I summon my magic and use the glow from my hands. It highlights the compact space. I stand to my feet and the building shakes from the commotion upstairs.
There’s a door several ste
ps up and stairs leading to a basement. I decide to search the basement first. I follow the stairs to the basement, letting the glow from my hands lead the way.
Once inside the basement the darkness becomes more prominent. The glow from my hands is barely a flicker of light. I touch the wall in search of a light switch. But I find nothing. The boom of someone crashing to the floor above my head startles me. However, I continue moving throughout the basement.
I highlight the walls, which are brick like a dungeon. A wet moldy smell lingers in the air.
I reach a small door hidden by the darkness. This has to be it. I bite my lip nervously while touching the door handle. I expect it to be warded or piping hot. Cautiously, I twist the knob. When a whisper sounds from behind me, I pivot back toward the voice, then use my palm to highlight the room. There is nothing there. I continue opening the door. Hopefully nothing jumps out and attacks me. It’s so dark, it would have an advantage. I can barely spot anything in front of me.
Nothing but several empty shelves filled with spider webs.
I’m not going to pretend I don’t hear the whispers. It’s gibberish, or maybe it’s someone upstairs talking. I turn to walk back outside when a voice says, “Hello.” My soul shivers.
I’m not alone in this basement. I hold up my hands as I stalk toward the voice. The glow from my hands bounces from wall to wall, except for one area in the right corner. There is nothing but darkness as I advance closer.
I have an overwhelming desire to touch the thick darkness. The closer I get to my destination, the more voices talk. I gasp and my breath gets tangled somewhere in my throat. How many people are here? Or shadows, should I say?
Extending my hand, I note the constant tremors. The darkness is palpable yet fluffy like a cloud. However, I can’t push my hand through. I push harder and harder, and my efforts go unanswered. How do I free these shadows if I can’t get to them?