Every few minutes, I glance around, hoping to see Rynne emerge from the hall leading to his room. I thought about waking him up when I got up, but it was early, and I didn’t think he’d appreciate me barging in. I watch for him longer this time, hoping he’ll pop up any minute, but I still don’t see him.
I glance at my cell phone and see that it’s 7:00 a.m. It’s not that early now. I see Fiona and Divya are busy with the other hunters. They’re always busy doing something. I haven’t made any friends here aside from Divya, not really. Donovan’s nice enough, but I don’t know him that well. Rynne is a lot like me in that way, I think. He’s been with Gold Team, but he doesn’t seem to be friendly with the members of the team.
I decide I don’t want to wait for him any longer.
I leave the lobby, enter the hall leading to Rynne’s room, and walk up to his door, still wearing the comfy sweats and t-shirt I slept in. I considered changing, but Christmas mornings are best spent in your pajamas. That’s how I always spent Christmas mornings with my parents.
My hand lingers on the doorknob as I think about my parents and how much I miss them. I wish they were here with me right now.
I flinch when the doorknob turns before I even touch it. Rynne stands at the doorway, a surprised look on his face.
“Good morning,” he says.
That’s when I notice he isn’t wearing a shirt. My cheeks flush and I turn my gaze away from him before I can commit the sight to memory.
“Morning,” I mumble.
Then I turn around and walk away like an idiot. I keep walking until I’m back in the lobby. I take a seat and bury my face in my hands. Why am I like this?
A few minutes later Rynne joins me. He’s wearing a shirt now. “In a hurry to open presents?” he asks.
“Not exactly,” I reply. I still can’t bring myself to look at him. I feel so embarrassed.
“Well, I got you one.”
“Y-you did?”
He takes my hand and places a small, beautifully wrapped present in my palm. The wrapping paper is a glittering silver and the present is topped off with a thin golden bow. It’s very elegant.
“Rynne, you shouldn’t have,” I say quietly. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“Yes, you did. You made something for everyone here.” He holds out one of my origami polar bears. “You’ve gotten really good.”
I bring my eyes back to the gift Rynne got me and keep them glued there. I still can’t look at his face. “The polar bears are my favorite,” I tell him.
“Mine, too.”
I steal a quick glance at him. He’s beaming at me. I’ve never seen such a radiant smile on his face. His smiles are always perfect and handsome, but they always feel calculated. This smile is genuine and imperfect, a smile without reserve. I want to see that more often.
“Open your present,” he says. He’s doing a poor job of hiding his excitement, too. I’ve never seen him act like this, but I like it. He isn’t putting on any pretenses.
I start by slipping off the gold ribbon. Instead of tearing into the wrapping paper next, like I used to as a child, I treat it reverently by finding the edges where it’s been taped down and then I carefully undo them. It seems like a shame to shred up such beautiful paper.
Rynne sits by me patiently, but I swear I can feel his excitement threatening to overpower him. When I’ve removed all of the paper, I hold a delicate white box in my hands. I look at him so I can gauge his reaction.
“It’s not like you to tease,” he remarks.
“I’ve never seen you so anxious about anything,” I reply. “I thought I could draw it out.”
“Open it.”
I pop the lid to see a white diamond. It’s shaped like a heart, and it’s the same size and shape as the black diamond I wear around my neck. It’s a beautiful, powerful gem. I can feel tears trying to escape my eyes, but I don’t want to cry right now. Today’s supposed to be happy.
“This is a beautiful present,” I tell him. “And too much! How much did this cost you?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Rynne says as he subtly wraps his right arm around my waist.
I take off my necklace and slip the heart-shaped diamond pendant onto the silver chain. It fits perfectly with the black diamond, and already I can feel their power working in harmony. It’s like they were made for each other. I’ve never felt anything like it. The crystal he gave me must be an amplifier. I smile as I wipe at the tears trying to escape my eyes.
“Thank you so much,” I say.
“Do you feel its power?” he asks.
“Definitely. It’s beautiful. Wonderful.”
I turn to look into his blue eyes, abnormally bright and lively. Even his eyes are smiling today. He doesn’t move his hand from my waist, so I take advantage by leaning into him. We sit together even as other hunters begin to gather around the Christmas tree. This is what I want. This moment. I want this moment forever.
“The food is wonderful!” I exclaim as I dig into my mixed-berry pie desert.
“Thanks,” Divya grins. “Seeing people eat the food I helped prepare with such a ravenous appetite is the best kind of reward.”
“Everything is excellent,” Rynne agrees, though he hasn’t forgotten his manners like I have.
The other hunters close enough to hear our conversation, mostly Gold Team, also express their agreement.
“Tasia, Rynne,” Fiona regards us both, “I’ve decided it’s time for the two of you to get involved again. Starting tomorrow. You’ve both been working hard, and I think you’ve earned a second chance.”
“Really?” I ask as my heart leaps in my chest.
“Really.”
I stop eating my pie so I can give Fiona my full attention and respect. “Thank you so much. You won’t be disappointed.” I hope she can see how sincere I am.
“We’ll do our best,” Rynne agrees.
Fiona smiles. “That’s all I ask for.”
“Welcome back, Rynne!” Donovan says, slapping a big hand on Rynne’s back and almost causing him to spit out the bite of pie he just took.
Rynne coughs into a napkin. “Thanks,” he replies once he’s composed him.
Donovan laughs heartily, while Miguel only glances at us, and Sherri ignores the transaction altogether. I wonder if Rynne likes being on Gold Team. He never talks about it.
I take another bite of pie.
“You ready to get back to work, Tasia?” Divya asks.
I swallow the food in my mouth and say, “Yes, and I’ll do it right this time.”
CHAPTER 42
Tasia
I WAIT FOR RYNNE in the lobby the morning after Christmas. Things go back to normal today. Well, as normal as normal is these days. I’m going to resume my training with Divya. I feel a little nervous about it, but I’m going to follow her instructions this time. Of course, I want to talk to my parents, but I guess that will have to wait. I’m lucky I wasn’t killed when I went off to find Arsen. I don’t plan on making the same mistake twice. I’m not going to seek him out unprepared again. And I’m not going to do it alone.
I see Rynne walking into the lobby. He’s dressed in his EEA uniform, black lightweight body armor. He must be going on an early-morning assignment.
“Back at it like nothing happened,” I tell him when he’s within hearing range.
He replies, “That’s what it looks like.”
“Be careful.”
“I will be. Good luck with Divya.”
I smile as I place my hand around my black and white diamonds. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Just follow her instructions. Divya’s a vital piece of this place. She’s one of the major suppliers of information for the EEA database. She knows what she’s talking about, even if you don’t think it’s significant.”
“Are you trying to make me feel better by saying I don’t have to be out on the front lines to be useful?”
“I’m saying we all have different strengths, b
ut it doesn’t make any one of us less important than another.”
“That’s a nice sentiment. I hope it’s true.”
He takes my hands and catches my gaze. “It is.”
Rynne. I wish he knew how I feel about him. I could have caught him under the mistletoe yesterday, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“I’ll see you later,” he tells me as he lets go of my hands.
“See you.”
I watch him leave before I make my way to the Black Box. Divya said to meet there instead of in our classroom. I get there before she does, but the door’s unlocked, so I let myself in. The room looks the same as it did last time, except I don’t smell any incense; Divya will probably take care of that when she gets here. I find the center of the room and sit down on one of the cushions. As I wait, my mind starts to wander. Whenever my mind wanders, it always comes back to Arsen. How will I ever be prepared to face him when he can manipulate my emotions? I thought my anger would be enough, but when I don’t feel angry anymore, I can’t bring myself to do anything. I didn’t think evil could be that perverse. He can manipulate my positive emotions. He can make me feel things I should never feel for him. It makes me despise him even more.
“Good morning, Tasia,” Divya greets me as she enters the room.
“Good morning,” I reply.
“Are you ready for this? We’re picking up right where we left off, except I’m going to leave the incense out. I don’t think you need amplifiers or guides. You’ve been meditating like I taught you, right? I know you’ve been diligent in your studies, so I hope meditation was included in them.”
“I have,” I assure her.
“All I’m going to have you do today is act as a medium. You’ll take off your black diamond and meditate. You’ll be receptive to all the spirits around you, and then you’ll pick one to hear out. Once you’ve heard their story, break free of your meditation, and I’ll give your black diamond back to you. Is that understood?”
“Understood. I’ll do it right this time.”
Divya smiles at me, pleased. “I know you will.”
She lays a yoga mat down on the floor and gestures for me to take my seat there instead of on my comfy cushion. I cross my feet on top of my thighs once I’m sitting, shaping myself into the lotus position instead of an easy cross-legged position; I focus better this way. Then I take off my necklace and hand it to Divya.
“You have a white diamond now?” she remarks. “When did you get this?”
My cheeks burn. “Rynne gave it to me yesterday for Christmas.”
Divya raises an eyebrow and offers a mischievous smile, but she doesn’t ask anything else. She leaves the room to deposit my necklace outside, and then she returns saying, “When you’re ready, start breathing deeply. Let yourself drift away and listen to all the voices around you. I’ll be right here the entire time.”
I take a deep breath. I close my eyes and focus on the back of my eyelids for a moment. I started hearing the whispers as soon as Divya took my necklace away, but now the voices are getting louder.
I deepen my breathing. The deeper I fall into a meditative state, the clearer the voices become.
“Help me.”
“No, help me.”
“Listen.”
“I know what you’re going through, but do not give in to him. He only wants one thing.”
I focus on one. It’s a female’s voice. What she says catches my interest. I want to know more. She claims to know what I’m going through. What does that mean?
“There is much confusion inside of you.”
The voice is clear now, and it’s almost like the other voices and words I was hearing are gone, if not for the susurrations rattling around in the back of my skull like white noise.
“What do you mean there’s confusion inside of me?” I ask. “Don’t you want me to listen to your story?”
“My story is yours.”
“What does that mean?”
The ghost lets out a wheezing sigh. I can feel her cold breath glide across my face. I can see a faint image of her, too. She’s a pretty woman, with dark curly hair and large breasts. She looks like flesh and blood, but if I focus on her close enough, I can see she’s transparent.
“I’ve seen you with that creature of evil. I saw how you just fell into his arms.” The woman hisses.
I shudder. “I… I didn’t know how to stop it,” I say in defense.
“Kill him. That’s the only way to stop it.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I once fell in love with the most handsome man I had ever seen. He gave me everything I wanted. He spoiled me. I wanted to marry him, but I didn’t know what he really was. I didn’t realize he was poisoning me. Little by little I began falling away from what I once was. I pushed all of the people who loved me away once I met this man. I started joining him when he stole precious jewels. I started hurting people with him, for him, and I enjoyed it, so long as he gave me his attention, so long as he fed my growing desire to have him.
“I thought I loved him, and I thought I’d be happy with him for the rest of my life, but I was wrong. I was so very wrong. Those who worship evil will play with your mind. They will change you. They’ll make you think you’re precious to them when all they truly care about is what you have to offer them. Once your usefulness is all used up, they’ll dispose of you.”
The beautiful image of a woman I see in my mind’s eye warps and changes into a haggard old woman. She’s bent over, crippled.
“The monster that stole my heart, my life, is still out there. He charms pretty girls and keeps them for as long as they suit him, and then he casts them away. The worst part is he doesn’t even grant us death. He leaves us to live with all the darkness he’s fed us, with all the hungry desires we can no longer escape. I was only thirty years old when he decided I wasn’t pretty enough for him anymore, but I didn’t know how to live life without him. I continued thieving, and I continued killing because that was the only way to fill the dark hole inside of me. But nothing was ever enough to fill it. Nothing was ever enough.”
I feel sick to my stomach. I don’t want to carry on with this connection. I don’t want to hear any more of this spirit’s horrible story. Most of all, I don’t want to end up like her.
“Bartholomew,” the woman whispers. “The monster’s name is Bartholomew. He’s an aswang that’s lived in this world for too many years. He is unaging and moves from place to place, but he’s here now, in Philadelphia. I even know his exact location. I thought in death I would get my revenge by haunting him, but even my anger is not strong enough to torture him like I desire. Kill him, and we’ll see if I may find him in the afterlife.”
“Where can I find him?” I ask, trying to keep my fearful emotions under control so I don’t break out of our connection.
“He is staying in a human’s mansion. The Crow Mansion. That’s what it’s called. Harper Crow is the name of the woman who owns it. She’s Bartholomew’s current interest. Fitting, seeing as he is able to take the form of a crow at night.”
The cold around me suddenly heats up, until it feels like I’m just an inch away from an open flame. I open my eyes, jolting myself out of my meditation. Divya must have known I was almost done because she’s in front of me with my necklace. Immediately, I grab for my diamonds as I gasp. Sweat trickles down from my forehead and into my eyes. I wipe it away only after my crystals are safely around my neck, and then the white noise stops.
Divya hands me a wet towel I didn’t even realize she had. “I figured you’d appreciate this. Communing with spirits can be intense.”
I nod and gratefully take the towel, dousing my face and then fitting the cool fabric around my neck.
“Did you learn anything interesting?” she asks.
“I learned about an aswang named Bartholomew,” I tell her.
“Oh?” Divya takes my hands and helps me stand. “Tell me everything once I have my laptop.”
&nbs
p; CHAPTER 43
Rynne
“IT’S NICE AND SUNNY today. Not a cloud in the sky. The snow might even melt at this rate,” Blade comments as she looks up into the sky while shielding her eyes with her hand. “It’s the perfect day for hunting.”
“Looks that way,” I agree.
“Rynne, I’m counting on you. Show me you’re responsible and a team player so I can keep you around.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Gather around Gold Team,” Blade announces as we walk to the garage.
I still feel remorse about setting a bunch of thralls loose on Philadelphia, but Blade took care of my mistake already. It seems she’s moved past it.
Blade briefs us. “We’re hunting an aswang today. A spirit gave a specific location for him, and we’ll confront him well before night. That means his strength won’t be any greater than yours or mine. He won’t be able to transform. However, that also means he won’t react to holy water or anything else like that any more than you or I would. In the daylight, an aswang is fundamentally human, aside from their retained knowledge of their power and abilities at night. This means it shouldn’t take much to kill him. The hardest part of this mission will be getting inside Harper Crow’s mansion and making sure we have the right target. If you look into an aswang’s eyes, you’ll see your reflection upside down. Remember that. Harper Crow has a high-security system installed in her mansion. She isn’t just going to allow us to waltz in. She’s involved with this aswang, so that means we’ll have to infiltrate.”
Blade produces a map and lays it down on the worktable in the garage. “Sherri, you’re taking down the security system. You looked into all of that like I told you to, right?”
“Of course.”
“And you can handle it?”
Demon Snare (These Immortal Vows Book 1) Page 28