by Danica Rayne
“My foster dad found my egg in the forest.”
“Interesting.”
I cleared my throat. “As much as I’m loving you not slicing my friends in half, we’ve come here because we need your help.”
She blinked a few times. “Sorry. Got a little distracted there. It’s been a childhood dream to meet a dragon face to face. Never thought it’d actually come true. But why are you running around with a vampire?”
“It’s a long story. You don’t have to be afraid of him. He’s on our side.”
She snorted. “That’ll be the day.” She studied me closely. “You’re here because of the portal.” She gestured toward the inside of the house.
I walked past her to enter, but she placed her hand before Kayden and Liam. “Sorry, you two are not invited. I’m not crazy enough to invite a vampire into my home, and while I’m intrigued by dragons, you’re too dangerous.”
“Sorry,” I told her. “Sometimes I forget they’re not human.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you kidding me?” She closed the door in their faces and followed me further into the house. It wasn’t much, but it looked comfy. A small living room that connected to the dining room, a small kitchen and a few rooms in the back.
“Please sit.” She gestured to the sofa. I sat while she pulled up a chair.
“Was your mom killed by the same thing that killed mine?” I asked. “A vampire?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
“Why did your mom ask specifically for my mom?” I asked. “Were they friends?”
She gave me a bewildered look. “What are you talking about? It was your mom who asked mine for help. It didn’t make sense, because my mom was retired by then. I inherited the title at eighteen.”
“So the vampire lured them,” I said. “And she killed them. And my dad.”
She nodded slowly, sympathy in her eyes. “Now it makes sense why she hadn’t reached out to me or the network.”
“The network?”
“Your mother never told you about the slayer network?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t tell me anything. I found out I was a slayer about two weeks after she died.”
She studied me with an incredulous expression. “That’s why we weren’t aware Beth had a daughter. She tried to shield you from that world. She didn’t want you to have anything to do with slaying.”
“She wanted me to have a normal life.”
“A normal life? Why would anyone want that?”
I slowly met her eyes. “Because if you had a normal life your mother would be alive right now. So would mine. And my grandmother.”
The room was dead silent.
She tucked one leg behind the other. “Okay, I’ll give you that.” She leaned a little closer. “If your mom died, how did you discover you were the slayer of Edgewood?”
“My aunt. She took me home to live with her. She explained it all to me after I was attacked by a vampire. She trained me.”
“Interesting.” She leaned forward again. “The others and I thought Edgewood was unprotected. We thought that was the reason the portal’s been opened and why the demon came through. But if you’ve been protecting it these past two months, how did this happen?”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to tell her my mom was at fault, but I couldn’t keep this from her.
I told her everything, making sure to paint my mother in the best light possible. When I was done, she raked a hand roughly through her light blonde hair and muttered, “Damn. Now all the pieces are coming together. The demon lord wanted your mother killed so the barrier would be weak. Why kill my mom, though? Maybe to tie loose ends. He must have been worried someone would ask my mom questions. The vampire made it seem like it was just a random vampire attack. Damn that demon lord to hell!”
“It’s not just any demon lord that came through,” I said. “It’s one of the originals.”
“Who?”
“Mergarus.”
Her eyes got so wide I thought they would pop right off her face. “That’s impossible. My mom told me he was dead.”
I shook my head. “I saw him come in.”
“But there’s no reason why such a powerful demon would come through. Unless he wants something.”
I tore my eyes away. “He wants me.”
“You? Why?”
“Um…because he thinks I’m stronger than other slayers…”
“And why would he think that?”
“Because I’m in a relationship with four guys and my soul is stronger?”
She stared at me for a bit, then raked another rough hand through her hair. “Your slayer line’s been causing quite some trouble in Edgewood…”
“Sorry…”
She shook her head quickly. “No. It’s not your fault. The only ones responsible are the monsters.”
My shoulders relaxed. I was glad she didn’t hate me or my mom.
“You were right coming here,” she said. “One slayer alone can’t defeat such a powerful demon. We need a sisterhood. I need to tell the others right away.” She got up from her chair.
“There’s something else you should know,” I said. “There’s a group of humans who are on the demon side. They were the ones who let Mergarus in. I went to a witch for a spell to close the portal, but the humans stopped me, and Mergarus came through.”
She slowly sank down in her chair. “This changes everything. As slayers, our number one priority is to keep humans safe. We can’t go around killing innocent people. Those humans aren’t thinking clearly, probably under some sort of demonic spell…” She scrambled to her feet. “I have to talk to the others.”
She motioned for me to follow her into an office in the back. On top of the desk sat a desktop computer with a big screen, a chair with wheels before it. Callie rolled over another chair and told me to sit down.
“I’m going to log into the slayer network,” she told me. “This is super top secret information. This can’t be shared with anyone, not even a close family member, you understand?”
I nodded. Aunt Bea must not be aware of it.
She clicked on an application, which opened up a secure browser. She clicked an icon that looked like a phone, and then a video chat appeared on the screen, along with the ringing sound.
“I was actually just about to arrange a meeting with the others to discuss the Edgewood problem before you came,” she informed me. “We thought it was our job to deal with it because there was no longer an Edgewood slayer. Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect.”
A face appeared on the screen. A woman with dark red hair who looked in her late thirties. “Heya, Callie. Time to discuss the Edgewood problem?” She bent close to the screen, her eyes studying me. “Who you got there with you?”
“The slayer of Edgewood.”
“Slayer of Edgewood?”
“Beth Hadwin’s girl.”
“I didn’t know she had a daughter.”
A few more faces popped up on the screen, women of all different ages and races. It wasn’t long before the entire screen was filled with faces, except for one spot.
I started counting under my breath.
“Thirty,” Callie told me. “There are thirty slayers in America. One for every spawn point”
“If the slayer of Jersey would bother showing up in time,” a woman who seemed to be in her early fifties said, though from the tone in her voice, it was obvious she was just teasing.
The women greeted each other like they were best friends. No, sisters. Because that was what they were—a family.
Finally, a woman in her late twenties with blue hair came on the screen, waving her hands. “Sorry I’m late. Just finished painting my nails.”
“The world is coming to an end and Marny is painting her nails,” the first woman who came on the screen said, her tone just as teasing.
“What? You know me, always slayin’ in style.” Her eyes zeroed in on me. “Why is there a stranger sitting near C
allie?”
Callie rested her hand on my shoulder. “She’s not a stranger, at least she won’t be anymore. Ladies, I’d like you to meet Alivia Knight, the slayer of Edgewood.”
The woman gaped at me, each one looking more disbelieved than the other. Then they started talking at once.
“Hey, hey, quiet!” Callie said, pressing down on the spacebar and making a bell sound.
The slayers starting to hush, and then one said, “I knew Beth had a daughter.” She flashed me a smile. “Welcome, slayer of Edgewood. The sisterhood’s never felt complete without you. I’m Elisa Fox, the slayer of Austin.”
“Nice to meet you.” I was overwhelmed by all of this and I wasn’t sure my brain had enough time processing it.
“I was actually getting used to only twenty-nine of us…,” a woman, maybe in her late thirties or early forties, deadpanned. “Thought we weeded out those who didn’t deserve the title.”
“Carole,” some of them scolded.
She shrugged. “I’m the slayer of Chicago, girl. And I’m not pleased by your mom’s actions. She betrayed us all.”
A lump formed in my throat and my hands grew clammy.
“Don’t take it out on her, Carole,” Callie said. “It’s not her fault. She just found out she’s the slayer of Edgewood two months ago. Give the kid a break.”
“Slayers take responsibility for their actions. They take responsibility for their mothers’ actions.”
“I am trying to take responsibility,” I said. “That’s why I’m here.”
“That’s right,” Callie said, once again placing her hand on my shoulder. “Alivia, tell everyone exactly what you told me.”
I did. Once I was done, they all just stared at me like I told them whales walked on Earth.
“Mergarus?” Carole gasped. “Are we talking about the most powerful of all demons?”
“Afraid so,” Callie said.
“Where’s the proof?” another slayer demanded. “How do we know what the girl says is true? I haven’t seen anything on the news about Mergarus.”
“You know he can take any form,” Marny said in a serious tone. “He can possess any body. He could be anywhere.”
“Then how the hell do we find him?” another asked.
“We use the Power of Ten,” Marny said.
Chapter Nineteen
“What’s the Power of Ten?” I asked.
“When ten slayers link their energies. They become a powerful force.”
“But there are thirty of us.”
“We don’t need all thirty to use the Power of Ten,” Callie explained. “Some of us have to stay behind to protect the spawn points.”
“Don’t forget that using the Power of Ten can cut off years of our life,” another slayer muttered.
“Really?” I asked.
She shrugged. “It takes a massive amount of energy. Of our life force.”
“Wonderful news for me,” the woman in her fifties mumbled.
“I think we might need to use all of us this time to take down such a powerful demon,” Elisa said.
“Do you know what’s going on out there?” another demanded. “I can’t leave my spawn point unprotected.”
“Same here,” another said.
“It’s the same at every spawn point.”
They all started arguing at once.
I pressed on the spacebar, dinging the bell.
They all looked at me.
“I can help,” I said. “Mergarus is after me. You can use me as bait. And we can use the Power of Ten to take him down.”
“It isn’t so simple, slayer of Edgewood,” Carole said. “But I do like the idea of using you as bait.”
“Carole,” Elisa reprimanded.
“Why you?” Marny asked.
I shifted in my seat, extremely uncomfortable to divulge to a group of strangers about my personal life. “I have four guys who love me…My mom told me that I’m soulmates with all four of them. And that makes it harder to kill me. So I assume that’s the reason Mergarus didn’t send a lesser demon lord but came through himself. To kill me.”
“Your mother?” Elisa asked.
“I met her. She’s a wraith.”
“A wraith?”
“Off topic, girls,” Carole said. “It’s quite presumptuous for you to assume Mergarus is here for you.”
“No, it makes sense,” Callie said. “My mom told me something like this happened thousands of years ago, before the first sisterhood permanently shut the portals. Mergarus came through to stop a powerful slayer with a strong soul. It could be the same situation here.”
“Four boys?” one said. “Is it that hard these days for you to be with just one person?”
“Is there something special about these particular boys?” Carole asked.
“Um…”
“They’re supernaturals,” Callie said.
I winced. “You didn’t have to announce it,” I hissed.
“The sisterhood doesn’t keep secrets from each other. You’re part of us now, Alivia. You can’t keep anything from us.”
Once again, all the slayers on the screen gaped at me like I had five horns on my head.
“Can you repeat what you just said?” Marny asked.
I looked at Callie, who gave me a helpless shrug. I sighed. “Before you all attack me, you have to understand that not all supernaturals are bad.”
They were quiet. Then one said, “Callie, are you sure she’s the slayer of Edgewood?”
“Don’t doubt it, girls. I’m sure you feel the connection as much as I do.”
“But to think supernaturals are good?! How could she be a competent slayer?”
“If you met them, you’d see what I’m talking about. They’re good guys with pure hearts. They were taken in by a man, also a supernatural, when they were kids and he trained them to be good. They’ve helped me take down a lot of supernaturals and piece together this mess.”
Elisa moved closer to the screen. “Are you by any chance referring to Levi Caldwell?”
My whole body perked up. “Yes. You know him?”
“I ran into him a few years back. He was in his bear form, mauling another supernatural, maybe a ghoul or zombie. I was ready to slay him, but he shifted into a human and gathered a bleeding child into his arms. A girl.”
My heart sank. “It must have been his daughter.”
Elisa’s eyes grew dark. “I remember how distraught he was. He looked so human. I couldn’t kill him. I helped him bury her.” Elisa’s gaze moved between the slayers. “Levi Caldwell is a good man. If there’s anyone who could turn a supernatural good, it’s him.”
“Right now it doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not,” I said. “We can argue all we want while Mergarus continues to take lives.”
“She’s right,” Callie said. “We’re wasting time.”
“Let’s make a plan, sisters,” Marny said. “Ten of us will travel to Edgewood while the rest of us stay behind. Bring whatever potions you’ve gathered over the years and the finest weapons you have. There’s no holding back on our assault. We need to go full force, weaken him before we can use the Power of Ten. We’ll only have one chance. Trying to perform the Power again in such a short span of time can have disastrous effects on us.”
“There’s still the human problem,” I pointed out.
“What human problem?” Carole asked.
Callie groaned. “I almost forgot that. Bad news, sisters. A human’s been Demon Kissed.”
They all shut their eyes and released heavy breaths.
“He must have one seriously rotten soul to have gotten kissed by Mergarus,” a slayer said. “Does he have a following?”
“Yeah,” I said. “A big following. And they have guns.”
“Guns.” One of the slayers whistled.
“Can’t we us guns? Not on the humans but on the demons?”
“Modern weapons are useless on supernaturals,” Callie said.
“Oh.”
Carole snapped her fingers. “No point in getting upset, ladies. How do we fix this?”
They were once again quiet.
“We must sever the link between human and demon before we destroy him,” another slayer reminded us. “Or the human will die.”
“Or worse,” another said. “Mergarus could take over his body.”
“So it’s like an exorcism,” I said.
“Yes, similar. But how on Earth do we do that?”
Carole drummed her fingers on her desk. “The human was kissed by dark. Maybe the only way to counteract that…”
“Is for him to be kissed by light,” Elisa finished.
“A kiss from a slayer.” Marny’s eyes shone with hope. “One with the strongest soul.”
They all looked at me.
“Me? What am I supposed to do?”
“Kiss the human and transfer your light into him. It’ll drive the demon insane sharing a body with something so pure. He’ll break his hold on the human.”
“So…you’re saying I have to kiss Lawrence?”
“Yes,” they all said.
“On…on the lips?”
“Of course on the lips!” Carole sounded beyond impatient. “Where else?”
“No way! No freakin’ way. I’m not kissing that piece of trash anywhere. Especially on the lips!”
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Carole muttered.
“He’s the most disgusting human on the planet! Worse than some monsters.”
“The world is coming to an end and she’s worried about a kiss,” Carole said.
Callie turned to me. “Alivia, sometimes we have to do things we don’t want. Sometimes we have to save humans who would be better off dead. You understand why you have to do this, don’t you? Not only because you have a stronger soul than the rest of us, but because that human—Lawrence, you said? He’s from Edgewood. He’s your responsibility.”
I took a deep breath and let it out, trying to force away the bile in my throat. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
She rubbed my shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re still new to this. Many of us have forgotten what it was like when we first became slayers. But you can do this, Alivia.”