by Noah Harris
Kell stepped up beside Johnny as she stopped before them. “Thank you.”
Alyssa smiled down at him. “I did this for him, but I did it for you as well, little Ward. I don’t want you to fall into the wrong hands. I’ll be honest, I don’t want your power in anyone’s hands, not in this war.”
“If you’re expecting me to take offense, I’m not going to. Whatever your reasons for doing it, it’s got us a head start. And I don’t want to end up being kept by anyone who has come after me so far so I won’t complain,” Kell told her.
Alyssa laughed. “Aren’t you a fun one? Allow me to give you, personally, one final gift. So you understand just what you’re dealing with.”
Alyssa reached, offering her hand to Kell. There was only a brief hesitation before Kell reached out, laying his hand upon hers. Johnny felt the tingling flow of something passing between them. Kell’s eyes widened, gazing directly at Johnny. Johnny took a step back, unnerved by the light of understanding and awe in Keller’s face. He didn’t know what Alyssa was showing Kell, but whatever it was, it had him totally enraptured.
Alyssa pulled her hand away. “Do you understand now?”
“Yes,” Kell said distantly, nodding his head slowly.
Alyssa looked at Johnny, smiling. “Our tarnished tin soldier.”
Johnny opened his mouth to ask her what she’d done, but with a pop, she was gone. Johnny glared at the spot where she’d been standing, knowing she had intentionally teleported out before he could ask any questions.
“Holy shit, was she even real?” Kell asked with wide eyes.
Johnny snorted. “The noise you heard was air rushing to fill the spot she was in. Yeah, she’s real, and a real pain in the ass.”
“What do we do next?” Kell asked, still staring at the spot where Alyssa had been.
“What she told us to do—get out of here,” Johnny said as he pulled Kell with him away from the bar.
Chapter 5
Keller
When he’d been told they were going to find a place to hide away for a while, Kell thought Johnny had meant somewhere within the city. Johnny had other plans, it seemed, and had found them a car to use. The car in question was owned by someone else but Johnny apparently decided to not let that stop him. Kell was more amused than bothered as Johnny quietly unlocked the car with his magic, and then, in the more conventional manner, hot-wired the car.
“So, when you traveled the world,” Kell had begun as he’d sat himself in the passenger seat.
Johnny laughed. “I picked up a few tricks.”
“And what a stunning example of a model citizen you are too,” Kell quipped with a laugh.
Johnny had driven them to the edge of the city, where they left the car out of sight in the parking lot of an old auto shop. From there, they’d gone on foot, to somewhere far off the beaten path. Kell had never been so glad of the hours he’d spent walking around over the past few years as he was when Johnny’s lead took them into the nearby woods and still continued on.
Kell had been out of the city and suburban areas a few times in his life, the most notable time being when a foster family decided to take him and a couple of other foster kids on a brief camping trip. It hadn’t lasted long as they’d only just had the site set up before one of the kids had been stung by a bee. It turned out the girl had an allergy no one had known about and it resulted in an emergency visit, which had quickly killed the trip.
Kell hadn’t had much of a chance to enjoy the wild land which often surrounded civilization. He wasn’t surprised to find it far quieter than the city, but he’d expected the lack of noise to be unnerving. Instead, he found the smell of moss and trees to be soothing, and the quiet rustling just out of sight to be of no consequence. Johnny, too, seemed to lose some of the tension in his shoulders as they walked deeper into the forest.
They reached an old house situated in the middle of a clearing. It was a small two story which had certainly seen better days. The paint was peeling and faded, a few of the windows had broken, and Kell spotted what looked like a raccoon sitting in one of the empty window frames. It seemed sturdy enough, and Johnny didn’t stop as he walked up to the house and peered through the window.
“Doesn’t look too bad. It’s stayed moderately clean since I was last here,” Johnny told him.
Kell mounted the front porch. “So this is one of your hideaways?”
Johnny nodded. “Yes, but it’s one I know has no connection to anyone else. I might be prone to using contacts to finding me places to stay in cities, but I always make sure to have a hole somewhere far enough away just in case. Places like this, which I take care of personally and as quietly as I can. Stay here while I check the place over.”
Kell watched Johnny as he disappeared through the front door. Through the nearby window, he could see the shadowy shape of the man moving through the house, until even that couldn’t be seen anymore. The area around the house was quiet, with only the few sounds of birds and insects in the brush. Kell crossed his arms, leaning against one of the supporting pillars of the porch, testing it first, before easing into a comfortable position.
His entire world had been flipped on its head and Kell wasn’t sure what to make of it. Not even a full day had passed since he’d left his apartment to discover his stalkers, but he’d already discovered a whole new world he’d never even considered existed. Witches and werewolves existed, though Kell had yet to see any evidence of werewolves. He’d witnessed magic more than once and had done it himself in a fit of panic and anger.
Kell turned to gaze up at the dark sky overhead, watching the stars twinkle as he pondered what came next. A deep part of him had always known there was something different about him, a little off. He’d even come to fear that part of himself, sensing that to come too close to it would result in his whole world changing. Kell never imagined he possessed so much power. The destruction in the bar had been frightening, and that he’d killed someone, even accidentally, horrified him. He’d never taken a life before, never been forced to, and Kell wasn’t sure how to process the reality of what he’d done.
“Alive and well out there?” Johnny’s voice asked from somewhere in the house, startling Kell.
“Alive and kicking,” Kell called back, smiling.
There were some benefits to the changes, Johnny, mainly. Kell liked the somewhat distant but charming man and was grateful for his help. From what he could tell, Johnny seemed to like him in return. People always seemed to like Kell, before they felt some reason to fear him anyway. He suspected it might have been whatever power lay inside him, drawing people to him without them knowing why. Unlike the others, however, Johnny didn’t seem terribly unnerved by what he’d seen—surprised, and a little awed, but not scared. If anything, save for Carson, Kell considered Johnny the only person who seemed to like Kell for who he was rather than because of some unconscious draw to him.
Johnny appeared in the doorway. “Everything in here is clean and ready to go. You can come in now. The sun will be up soon and I’d like to get us out of sight.”
Kell pushed away from the pillar. “I wouldn’t mind another nap soon.”
“You are aware that most people want to sleep, not nap, right?” Johnny asked, backing out of Kell’s way to let him in.
Kell chuckled. “I’ve never been very good at the whole sleeping thing. I only do it for a few hours at time. Always feel like there’s more I could be doing other than wasting my life away snoozing.”
“A restless spirit,” Johnny said, a smile in his voice.
“Yeah, too much thinking, not enough doing,” Kell said.
Johnny hesitated. “Well, try not to do too much thinking. I need to lay a few wards down, quiet ones so as to not draw attention. I can’t promise the furniture will be all that comfortable, or clean, but it shouldn’t have anything too bad on it.”
Kell laughed. “You sure know how to convince someone.”
Johnny walked away, chuckling, into what looked like
it had once been a dining room, and then he was out of sight. Kell had seen the strange look on Johnny’s face a moment before and wondered what caused it. It had almost looked like Johnny had wanted to say or do something and was barely restraining himself. With Johnny and his pleasant earthy scent gone, the damp, musty smell of the house returned. Kell wrinkled his nose, considering the nearby couch for a moment and deciding against it when he spotted an ugly black streak across the back.
Kell straightened as he felt something, a tingling at the edge of his senses. It took him a moment to realize the sensation wasn’t physical but lay somewhere within his mind. Focusing, he could feel it moving through the house slowly, as if on patient, methodical feet. Kell smiled, knowing then he was sensing whatever it was Johnny was doing as he did what he could to protect them. His powers were growing, and with it, his senses as well, it seemed.
Kell frowned, looking down at his hands and remembering the moment in the bar. The power had definitely come from within him, bursting out and shattering the fragile wood and glass of the bar. It had come without conscious thought on Kell’s part, only the purest of intent borne from desperation. If he could summon the power at will, he could be of more use to Johnny, and himself, when it came to fending off attackers.
Closing his eyes, Kell attempted to look deep inside himself to find the same core of power which he’d tapped into in the bar. After a few minutes, Kell felt ridiculous as he stood in the dim room, his eyes turned down to his open palms. Nothing was coming and frustration filled him, expressing itself with an annoyed grunt.
Once more, he felt the distant sensation of Johnny working his wards around the edge of the house. Kell cocked his head, focusing on it as he had done before and attempting to trace the origin of whatever it was inside him that could feel Johnny’s power. The hum of the insects outside and the soft song of birds awaiting the sunrise formed the backdrop as his thoughts dove inward. Eventually, even those noises faded away to nothing as he carefully followed the sensation into himself, feeling it thrum within him. Its power was markedly less than when he’d impulsively summoned it before, but his heart soared when he realized he’d found it.
Unsure what he was doing but determined to try, Kell drew upon the power, coaxing it outward. For a moment, there was only the sensation of something growing, expanding. Quickly, Kell tried to push it along his body, not wanting the power to burst out as it had before. His heart fluttered as he forced his will around the energy, narrowing its flow and creating a field around him. The power was slow and steady as he demanded, pushing against the floor and cradling Kell gently.
Unsure of what he’d done, Kell allowed his eyes to open slowly. For a moment, he didn’t understand what he was seeing and why he felt suddenly taller. Blinking quickly, he looked up, and realized that the room was a little brighter as well. His head was nearly brushing the ceiling, and his legs dangled a few feet off the ground. A glow permeated the air around him, extending in a soft halo of light which surrounded him.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Johnny’s soft voice said.
Kell gave a yelp, his concentration broken in an instant as he dropped to the ground with a hard thud. Johnny, who’d been standing in the doorway, jerked in surprise and hurried toward Kell with his arms held out.
“Good Lord, are you alright?” Johnny asked.
Kell laughed, rubbing at his lower back. “I’ve had worse falls than that, trust me.”
“I felt something going on in here but I never imagined you were trying to use your powers again. A little dangerous after what happened a few hours ago, don’t you think?” Johnny asked, eyes bright.
Kell grinned, taking Johnny’s offered hand. “Yeah, a little, but there’s only one way for me to learn how to use these powers and that’s to try them out. At least now you can be smug about being right about the magic thing.”
Johnny snorted, pulling Kell up. “Oh, you’re only just now coming to believe me?”
Kell shook his head. “Well, I was just being a little stubborn about wanting to believe it. You might have grown up around this stuff and are used to it, but this is a lot to swallow. Kind of hard to deny it when you get a full glimpse of someone else’s magic and then bring down a bar on people’s heads yourself.”
Johnny was watching him devotedly, and Kell was warmed to see there was no fear or worry in his face. In fact, Johnny was looking at him with the sort of contentment mixed with wonder someone would have if they gazed out on a natural landscape spread out before them, or as they closed their eyes against the sun breaking through the clouds. It was as if he were seeing Kell entirely, without doubt or bias in his mind.
Kell wanted to warm to the expression on Johnny’s face, but the image of the man he’d killed in the bar rose in his mind. For all the wonder and awe his power inspired in him, it could kill just as easily. He’d been desperate to save them, but when he’d lashed out, it had brought more power than he’d been able to control. It had cost someone their life and Kell wasn’t so sure he could feel good about their freedom.
Johnny reached out, pulling Kell closer until their bodies met. Kell could detect the strong scent of fertile earth and fresh grass coming from him, and instinctively inhaled deeper. Johnny’s gaze never wavered from Kell’s face, his head tilting slowly as he looked Kell’s features up and down. Suddenly all the charms and tricks Kell knew to divert attention from himself were gone, wiped away by the knowing and warm look in Johnny’s eyes.
“You are absolutely amazing,” Johnny whispered.
“I don’t feel amazing,” Kell whispered.
Johnny tilted his head slowly, eyes darting over Kell’s face. “Why?”
“When I want to have more power, nothing happens. But when I just want to get us free, more power than I can handle comes out. That’s not amazing, that’s dangerous,” Kell said.
Johnny’s eyes softened. “Kell, it was an accident.”
Kell shook his head. “I know that, but it doesn’t make it better.”
He’d taken someone’s life. By choice or not, it had been his invisible hand which had snuffed the light from someone. The worst he’d done before that was give someone a bloody nose.
“The man was a Vigil member. He would’ve happily killed you and not felt one moment of regret for the deed,” Johnny whispered fiercely.
Kell closed his eyes. “I didn’t know that.”
Johnny snorted. “The Vigil had someone there watching us, just like the Coven did. The Coven just struck first.”
He knew Johnny was trying to make him feel better but it didn’t alleviate Kell’s guilt completely. The act had been an accident rather than a willful act of self-defense. Perhaps if Kell had been forced to save his or Johnny’s life with a lethal move, it might have been easier. Instead, he’d killed someone because he had no control over his power.
Johnny ran a hand over Kell’s face. “You are clever, self-sufficient, and tougher than anyone I have ever met in my life. You deserve better than what’s happening to you, but you’ve dealt with it with a brave face and a willingness to push on. If anyone is capable of getting the hang of their power, it will be you.”
Kell tried to grin but faltered as warmth rose to his face. He knew he was blushing and it made him blush all the more. In that moment, Kell could really see the truth of the vision Alyssa had shown him. The glowing warmth around Johnny, which had extended out to envelop Kell as they’d stood on the sidewalk in the cold wake of the bar’s collapse. It was white and gold, protective and insulating. Now Kell knew Johnny would fight to his last breath to make sure Kell was safe and happy. Not because he was the Ward, but because, despite some hesitance on Johnny’s part, he truly cared about Kell.
A howl ripped through the tender moment, sending Kell’s already thudding heart into overdrive. Pulling from Johnny’s arms, Kell whirled around in time to see a blurred shadow leap past the window. There’d been no time to see it clearly but Kell had seen its size, and with another chorus of mingli
ng howls, he shivered in newfound fear.
“Bloody hell,” Johnny hissed, pushing past Kell to look out another window.
“That sounds like wolves,” Kell said, thinking of the movies he’d seen.
Johnny growled, the noise low and feral. “Because it is.”
Kell jerked at the sound of something heavy hitting the house. “Not friends of yours?”
“Friends wouldn’t greet me this way. No, this is another group of shifters, wolves I don’t know, probably the locals. How the hell they knew we were here is beyond me, but I’m quite tired of being constantly discovered before we can have a moment to ourselves,” Johnny snarled, turning away from the window.
Another thud followed by a crunch made Kell recoil. “How are they not already inside? The spells?”
Johnny nodded. “Though as you can tell, the wards aren’t going to last terribly long. I built them to delay anyone, not to keep them out. Anything else would have been too obvious for witches to find. Next time, I’ll have to overdo it and let them deal with what comes.”
The next crash came from a window at the back of the house. Kell whirled toward it, his heart leaping into his throat. Whatever group was trying to come in, they obviously didn’t think negotiation was the path to take. They were bound and determined to get hold of both him and Johnny, and Kell had no doubt they wouldn’t balk at hurting them in the process. Johnny looked mad enough to start howling back at the wolves outside and Kell felt a cold tremor of fear run through him as he watched Johnny’s agitation grow. Johnny would fight whoever came into the house and Kell was afraid of what would happen if he was overwhelmed.
Another low growl came from Johnny, exacerbating the fear pounding away in Kell’s chest. His thoughts flashed back to the bar and he dug down deep inside himself for the core of power he had brushed against before. The energy hummed to life, vibrating from head to toe throughout Kell’s body. The sound of wind and a hint of thunder pounded in his ears, and his fingers moved through the air before him as he prepared himself.