by Danica Rayne
“Montgomery!” Aunt Bea called. She scrambled off the ground and threw herself at her former partner just as the ogre shot past them. If not for Aunt Bea, Officer Montgomery would be a pancake right now. I was about to attack him, when a blur shot passed me, and a second later, the ogre plummeted to the ground, swimming in his own blood.
Kayden appeared beside me. “That takes care of outside. Who knows what’s going on inside the school?”
I blinked at my surroundings. Bodies were strewn all over the place, mostly supernatural, but there were quite a number of dead humans, too, a lot of them police officers.
“What the devil is going on, Bea?” Officer Montgomery demanded.
Aunt Bea patted his body. “Are you hurt?”
He slapped her hand away. “You want to tell me why I’m fighting creatures from my kids’ video games?”
Aunt Bea’s eyes met mine. The cat was out of the bag now. There was no way we could hide supernaturals from humans anymore.
“We’re not as alone as we think,” she told him. Then she looked at me. “Do what you need to do, Alivia. Officer Montgomery and I will help the injured and take care of all…this.” She gestured to the supernatural corpses.
Kayden slipped his hand into mine. “Let’s go.”
Ryker, Dr. Caldwell, and Liam were in the middle of battling the supernaturals inside the school when Kayden, Finn, and I entered. Luckily, most of the monsters that had slipped through the portal had left the building in search for prey. We managed to kill every single one in our path as we made our way to the lab room.
Ryker and Dr. Caldwell stood watch while the rest of us hurried in. They wouldn’t be able to shift back into humans until we were done here because they’d be stark naked.
The portal had grown ever larger, practically taking up the entire room. It was still that same purplish/blueish color, but it was stronger now, sending wind all around the room.
“I need to stand in front of it!” I yelled over the wind.
Both Kayden and Liam grabbed hold of my hands while Finn stood behind. He hardly had any fat or muscle on his body and would surely fly away like a piece of paper caught in the wind. Since the wind was so strong and cold, I couldn’t feel the heat in Liam’s body. With the boys grounding me, we forced our way deeper into the room until we stood right before the portal.
Kayden held out the book before me, turned to the right page. “You’ve got this.”
Just when I was about to say the incantation, something stumbled out of the portal. A demon with yellow skin, his face covered in warts and blisters.
“I’ve got this,” Liam said before throwing himself at the demon.
“You need to enunciate the words correctly,” Kayden said over the wind. “If you mispronounce just one word, you can make things worse.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Just concentrate. Liam and I will take care of any creature that comes through. Take as much time as you need.”
I tried my hardest to ignore the strong wind hitting me in all different directions. My eyes were watering, my teeth chattering, my whole body shaking. I wasn’t sure if that was due to the wind or the fear conquering every part of me. I needed to do this, and I needed to do this right. I had already done enough damage, I couldn’t afford to do any more.
“You’ve got this,” I whispered to myself. “You’re the slayer of Edgewood. Their safety rests on your shoulders. Don’t let them down.”
More demons passed through the portal, one more dangerous-looking than the next.
“Ignore them!” Kayden yelled as he charged.
I tore my eyes away and focused on the page before me. I studied the incantation, saying the words silently in my head. They were very difficult to pronounce, and a part of me felt defeated, hopeless. I didn’t know if I could do this.
“You can,” a soft, musical voice echoed in my ears. “You can do it, my darling.”
My head snapped up, my eyes darting around. “Mom?”
But there was no one here other than the guys and the demons.
I heard her voice, though, I knew I did. Just like I had seen her face in the hellhound’s fire. Aunt Bea claimed her soul hadn’t crossed over, that it was stuck in the supernatural world. Could she see me? Was she here with me?
The thought alone was enough. I took a deep breath and let it out, squaring my shoulders and holding my head high. With my eyes pasted on the words, I raised my palm toward the portal and said, “Leeja unta ferha miljot. Gerdun dernhaim crushta yurba. Eesta zerbin perka salaru!”
The wind grew even more intense, so strong that I had to grab onto one of the lab tables or else I would be knocked off my feet. Kayden zoomed over to Finn before he went splat against the wall. The portal started to shift, growing smaller and smaller until it was only a few inches wide. And then a reddish-yellow layer fell over the opening. The wind died down.
“The shield’s up,” Kayden said.
“We don’t know how long it’ll hold,” I said. “Let’s regroup at my aunt’s house.”
Chapter Ten
By now it was morning. The streets were so empty and quiet, not a single car seen. The people of Edgewood were scared out of their minds, locking themselves in their houses and refusing to step out for anything. I didn’t want to think how things would change now that humans were aware of supernaturals.
Ryker and Dr. Caldwell, still in their animal forms, had rushed in the opposite direction to go home and get dressed. Both their outfits had been torn to shreds when they shifted. My body was so sore and exhausted, and all I wanted was to sleep for the next twenty-four hours. But this war was far from over. I didn’t know how much time we’d have before the demon lord broke through the shield I had placed over the portal.
We entered the house and plopped down on the couch and recliner, with Aunt Bea getting us something to drink. It wasn’t long before Dr. Caldwell and Ryker joined us. We were quiet as we chugged, each of us absorbed in our own thoughts. Finally, I was the one to break the silence. “I want to meet with the witch my mom sought.”
Aunt Bea raked her hand through her hair. “You’re following in your mother’s footsteps, Alivia. You’ll darken your soul, just like she did. And you’ll be trapped in the supernatural world for all eternity.”
I didn’t want to believe her words, but there was a part of me that knew she was right. I saw my mom’s face in the hellhound’s fire and I heard her voice before I did the incantation. I didn’t know whether she was actually stuck in the supernatural world, but she was around somewhere.
“Levi, is there any other way to stop this demon lord?” Aunt Bea asked, her voice pleading.
“From all my research, slayers don’t have the power of magic. They can only slay the creatures who are in our world or who have slipped in. They’ve relied on the help of witches in the past.”
She threw her hand up. “How do we know this witch still exists? How do we know that witches exist at all?”
“I’m quite confident they do,” he said. “They live in seclusion, in hiding, never revealing their true nature to anyone. The amount of power they hold is so profound they can be a danger even to themselves.”
Aunt Bea’s face turned pale. “I had no choice but to give in to that other spell, but I don’t want my niece involved in any of this. This isn’t part of her job description! She’s supposed to slay monsters, that’s all.”
“Including monsters that come in from another world,” I pointed out. “Like they did hundreds of years ago.”
She pursed her lips. “This is not happening. There are other slayers in the world. Let them deal with it.”
“The only reason the portal’s open is because of me. I led the hellhound right to it.”
“We should have stopped Lawrence when we had the chance,” Kayden said. “We should have known he was up to no good.”
I stood up and folded my arms over my chest. “All this second-guessing and regret will get us nowhere. The fac
t is that a portal’s been opened and a demon lord wants to come into Earth. My job as the slayer is to stop him. By any means necessary.” I held up my hand to my aunt before she could say anything else. “You said this was my destiny. I have a duty to protect the citizens of Edgewood. To slay every single supernatural that enters our world. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
Ryker stood up and moved next to me. “I’m with Alivia. I will do whatever I can to help her keep Edgewood safe.”
“So will I.” Liam was at my other side.
“Without any hesitation.” Kayden was at my side, too.
Finn stood up and took my left, signing that he was with me, too.
Aunt Bea’s eyes moved over all five of us. “A demon slayer with a vampire and werewolf at her side. And what are you?” she asked Liam. “A phoenix?”
“Dragon.”
“Dragon?” Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Thought they were extinct.”
“I guess I’m the last one.”
She pinned her eyes on Finn. “I know what you are. And I know you saved my life. But you’re…you’re…I don’t even want to say it.” She ran her hand through her hair again. “I don’t want you near my niece.”
“I don’t care what you want,” I said. “Finn is my friend, and he stays.”
“But Alivia, you have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“I do know,” I said. “And I also know what a kind soul he has. So maybe you should try to get to know him for who he is, not what he is.”
“Alivia—” She shut her mouth as her eyes sprang to Finn. From the way he stared intently at her, I knew he was communicating to her through his mind.
After a few minutes, she rubbed her head. “That still doesn’t reassure me.”
“Look Aunt Bea, will you tell me where I can find the witch or do I have to do this on my own? Because I don’t know how long the shield will last, and if the demon lord comes through, that will be on you, not me.”
“I have no idea what kind of magic she’ll give you. Whether it’ll be light or dark, what you’ll have to sacrifice…” Tears gathered in her eyes. “Whether I’ll ever see you again.”
I sat down next to her and took her hand. “I’m not Mom. I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s not a promise you can keep.” She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “But all right. I’ll find the address.” She walked away, heading either to the basement or her bedroom.
“You’ll be pursued every step you take,” Dr. Caldwell said. “The portal may be temporarily closed, but supernaturals still gather from all over, growing in number. They’re thirsty for your blood. All the slayers’ blood.”
“We’ll protect her,” Ryker said.
I gaped at him. “What? No, I’m doing this myself.”
“Over my dead body.”
“I can’t ask you guys to put yourselves at risk—”
“How many times do we have to tell you that we’re a team?” Liam said. “Magnetic Five, remember?”
My eyes moved between the four of them. “Are you sure? I don’t know how dangerous it’ll be, and like Dr. Caldwell said, we’ll be pursued by every supernatural creature in the area.”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life,” Ryker said.
The others agreed.
“But who’ll stay behind to keep Edgewood safe while we’re gone?”
“I’ll be here,” Dr. Caldwell said. “I’ll hold the fort while you seek out the witch.”
“Me, too,” Aunt Bea said as she entered the room, holding a scrap of paper with an address scribbled.
“But Aunt Bea, you only have one arm.”
“It’s all I need.”
“I don’t know…”
“I stepped up to the plate when your mom needed me,” she said. “And I’ll do the same for you. Your fight is my fight, Alivia, your battle is mine. It scares me to death, but we come from a line of slayers. This is our job. Our life. Our legacy.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “I’ll be okay. I’ll speak to the witch and get what we need. We’ll save Edgewood. Soon all this will be behind us.”
Her lips brushed my cheek. “You’ve grown so much, Alivia. You’re not the same scared girl who first entered Edgewood. You’re stronger, more confident, and you want to fight for what’s right. I’m so proud of you.”
I hung onto her, soaking in her comfort. “Thanks.”
“And I know your mom and dad would be extremely proud if they were here.”
As much as I didn’t want to cry, tears filled my eyes. “I miss them so much,” I whispered.
“I know.” She stroked the top of my head. “I do, too.”
All I wanted was to remain in her arms, but time was ticking. I freed myself from her clutch and faced the others. “Let’s go find a witch.”
***
The guys and I didn’t say much to each other as we made our way to the forest. The city was still so quiet, it didn’t feel like we were in Edgewood anymore. A part of me urged me to turn in the opposite direction and head to the school to see if the shield was still intact, to make sure the demon lord hadn’t broken through. But I forced myself to stay on the path. I’d have to trust that Aunt Bea and Dr. Caldwell could ward off any supernatural while the guys and I sought out the witch.
And speaking of the witch? I was dead nervous to meet her. What if she refused to help us? How would I close the portal?
A big warm hand slipped into mine. “You okay?”
I gave Ryker a weak smile. “Just worried the witch will refuse to help us.”
He brought our interlocked hands to his lips and brushed them across my knuckles. “She’ll help us. Everything will be okay.”
I stopped a few feet from the forest and turned around to face the city. “Have you ever seen Edgewood so quiet before?”
“Never,” Kayden said. “It feels wrong.”
“Very wrong,” Liam agreed. “It doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
“The world will never be the same,” I said. “Even after we close the portal. Humans are now aware that supernaturals exist.” I looked at all four of them. “Will you guys be safe?”
“Oh Alivia, I love you.” Ryker took me in his arms and held me close to his chest. “The world is coming to an end and you’re worried about us.”
“You mean everything to me,” I said. “Each one of you. I…” I glanced up at Ryker, then moved my eyes to Kayden, Finn, and Liam. “I love you. All of you. Maybe this isn’t the right time to say it, but that’s how I feel. And if something were to go wrong, I want you guys to know this.”
“Nothing will go wrong,” Ryker said.
“You never know.” I gently pried myself from his arms and moved to Kayden, closing my arms around his waist and pressing my cheek to his chest.
“I love you, Alivia,” he murmured in my ear. “With all my heart. And I’ll do whatever I can to keep you and Edgewood safe.”
“Thanks.” I brushed the back of my fingers across his cheek, then faced Liam.
He gave me a small smile. “I’d really love a hug.”
“I know.” Too bad I hadn’t brought my special warm gloves with me. I pulled my sleeve down over my palm and swept some of his hair off his face. “I still remember the first time I saw you, when you came late to science class and made up that ridiculous excuse.”
He chuckled. “And I remember the first time I laid eyes on you. You had such sad eyes, and all I wanted to do was chase the pain away. I didn’t know how much you’d come to mean to me. My Livia. I love you.” He bent forward to press a kiss on my forehead. But he quickly pulled away because of the heat, his eyes filled to the max with anguish.
“One day we’ll be able to touch,” I whispered. “I promise.”
I turned to Finn, who stood on the side like he wanted to disappear. I playfully slammed my hands on my hips. “Don’t tell me you still don’t want to be anywhere near me. Not after everything we’ve been through.”
He shook his head. It’s worse.
What do you mean?
Because….because of how strongly I feel for you. I don’t want to hurt you.
I stepped closer to him, and he stumbled back. But then I moved closer, my eyes urging him to let go of his fears and reservations and just be. Just live. But he remained planted where he was.
I tried to hide my disappointment. I guessed he still wasn’t there yet. Which was fine. I’d wait until he was ready.
But then he suddenly strode toward me and enveloped me in such a powerful hug that we nearly toppled over. His clutch was so strong and secure, as though he never wanted to let go. Even though his body was very skinny with hardly any bone or muscle—I could feel his bones poking into me—he was still warm and comforting. I’d never felt anyone’s heart beat so fast, and his breaths were very heavy.
I love you, he said in a gentle, loving tone. I don’t think I’ve ever said that to anyone before.
I looked into his eyes, seeing how they overflowed with emotion. His gaze dropped to my lips before returning to my eyes.
“Finn,” I whispered.
He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to mine. I was so shocked I stood still. But then my body melted against his. He kept his lips pressed tightly together, like he was scared to open his mouth and cut me with one of his sharp teeth. But the kiss was sweet and held a lot of passion. It was perfect.
When he pulled away, his whole face was shocked. Was it okay? Did I hurt you?
I rested my head against his. It was perfect. You’re perfect. What about you? Did I make you feel that wild hunger?
No. He tightened his hold on me. My love for you far outweighs anything else I feel.
Someone cleared his throat. Both Finn and I turned our heads and saw the others standing there looking uncomfortable. For a second, I forgot where we were and what we were about to do. It was as if Finn and I were on our own island.
“Maybe we should get going?” Kayden gestured to the forest, avoiding my eyes.
I hadn’t kissed him yet. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, whether he yearned to share that special moment with me as I wished to share with him. But I couldn’t compare him to the other guys. Each one moved at his own pace. We’d get there when he was ready.