Blood Magic (Blood Magic Series Book 1)

by Ann Atkins

  “Allie, honey, can you listen to me for just a few moments? I mean, really listen, because I am going to need your undivided attention.”

  I nodded, but I did not speak.

  “Good girl,” she said with a sad smile, but we both jumped when Sheridan and David began to writhe around and moan in agony. They still appeared to be unconscious, but they were clearly in a great deal of pain. Good! I wanted them to suffer!

  “What did you do to them?” I asked in a voice that sounded nothing like my own.

  She seemed relieved by the question, because I think she honestly feared for my sanity. She wasn’t the only one.

  “It’s powder from Snowflake’s horn,” she explained.

  “Is he alright?” I asked anxiously.

  “Yes, he’s fine,” she smiled.

  I swallowed. “What about Matt?”

  “He’s better. Some of the other faeries are caring for him right now.”

  I nodded and gave a sigh of relief. At least I hadn’t gotten us all killed. “How long will they be like that?” I asked, nodding at David and Sheridan.

  “Long enough,” she answered.

  I wrinkled my brow in confusion. “Long enough for what?”

  “Has anyone ever told you about the kitsune’s power to bend time and space?” she asked.

  “No,” I replied, and my raw throat protested at the continued use of my voice. I wasn’t in a very conversational mood just now and was mostly just indulging her. The sound of her voice was soothing, like a balm to my soul, and it was the only thing keeping me from flying into a million little pieces right now, so I listened, but I could not keep my eyes from returning to the reason my life would never be whole again.

  No matter how many times I looked away, my eyes returned to his clothing and the nothingness where he should’ve been. My eyes welled again, and I squeezed them shut tight, but that was even worse, because the moment he died seemed to be imprinted on the back of my eyelids, and the wailing started once again. I would never be the same, but I didn’t want to be. I didn’t want to forget this pain; I wanted it to become a part of me, because if I ever stopped feeling it, it would mean I’d forgotten how much I loved and needed him, and he deserved so much better than that.

  “Allison? Allison? ALLIE?” she hollered.

  I turned my dazed, glassy eyes back toward her.

  “Have you even heard a word that I’ve said?” she asked, not unkindly, but with great concern.

  I shook my head, no, and she sighed heavily.

  “Allison … there may be a way to get him back.”

  My heart leapt up and stuck in my throat, and my eyes were probably bugging out of my head. It sounded impossible, but I was just desperate enough to believe in anything that might undo this nightmare. “How?” I finally asked, in a voice that sounded a little less like a robot.

  “You are part kitsune by virtue of your grandfather and your mother,” she paused to see if I was really listening, and I nodded my head. She continued, “I have never known a kitsune that could actually do this, but there are legends, and all legends spring from a grain of truth. In very rare cases, it’s been said that kitsunes can alter time—stop it, turn it backwards, or move it forward—and I believe that you are capable of doing that. If you travel back to just before Mason was killed, you can stop David,” she finished.

  To say this news was shocking would be an understatement, but if there was even the slightest possibility it could work, I was going to do everything I could to turn it into a reality.

  “Will I remember everything that’s happened?” I asked as I gazed around me.

  “Yes, you will, and so will I, but the others will remember nothing, and everything will reset to exactly as it was before. That means I won’t be here either, because I wasn’t here earlier. Those two,” she said, glancing at David and Sheridan, “will also, unfortunately, revive, but the most important part is that Mason will still be alive, and you have the power to save him,” she finished with a brilliant smile.

  “But how will it end differently the second time around? Can’t I just turn it back even further and kill him in his sleep or something?”

  “No, you can’t. You have to focus on the exact event you want to change and your power will take you there, and it will turn out differently because you are different, now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, this time you understand exactly how much you have to lose, and you’ll do anything to erase that grief and save the one you love … even use the one power you hate the most.”

  “You mean possession?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “How did you know I hate that power?”

  “Let’s just say I can read people very well,” she answered, tapping a finger against her head.

  I didn’t take the time to question her further; I was too anxious to erase the injustice that had been done, and the next words out of my mouth were strong and determined.

  “Tell me what to do. Tell me how to fix it.”

  “First, you need to sit facing me and take my hands. I can’t do it for you, but I can lend you strength and support, and I can guide you.”

  As soon as I took her hands, I felt that same hot, cold, tingly, dizzy feeling I’d felt when Mason had shared Sarah’s magic with me. A brief, luminescent glow encased my body, but even after it faded, I could still feel it humming through my veins. It felt familiar and warm and safe, because some of her powers were identical to mine. She hadn’t given me anything; all she’d done was enhance what I already had, and something in my blood recognized and called out to her, because she was the source. These powers had been passed down to me through her, and in my heart I knew, I was looking at the one thing I’d always wanted so desperately—family. I kept hearing her words, “Get your hands off my granddaughter!” and I looked at her in awe.

  “Ella?” I asked in a choked voice. I didn’t need to say anything else; she could read it on my face.

  Her eyes welled with tears, but she was quick to blink them away. “Not now, honey. We’ll have time later. I promise,” she said, giving my hands a squeeze of reassurance.

  I was suddenly afraid all over again. “What if I can’t do it? What if I fail? Ella … I can’t bear to lose him twice,” I said quietly.

  “You won’t. Believe in yourself. Believe in your love for that beautiful boy. Believe in Happily Ever After and make it come true. Nothing worth having comes easily, Allie, but the risks are worth taking. Is he worth the risk?”

  “He’s worth everything!”

  She smiled. “There’s your answer. Now, close your eyes and replay the moment you want to return to. Let it play like a slow motion movie in your mind. Remember everything from the beginning to the end, then go back to the beginning and freeze the moment you want to return to. Think about why you want to return. Think about how much you love him and how much you miss him. Think of how much you hate David and Sheridan. Think about your mother and father and everything that man has stolen from you, because it’s time for you to take something back. Do it for them. Do it for all of his other victims. Do it for me and the daughter he stole from me, but most importantly, do it for Mason and for you.”

  We were both crying now, but that was okay, the strong emotions swelling inside me only strengthened my focus. There was an unspoken message between us. We both knew there would be only one way to stop them. I had to kill them both. I had hesitated before; I would not have that problem this time around. I would do this, for Mason, my parents, my grandmother, and his countless other victims. The world would be a better, safer place without them, and I no longer considered it wrong. It was a public service to all of humanity (and other creatures, too).

  I closed my eyes and opened my mind, reliving the nightmares that were all too real. I replayed every detail as I struggled to form some kind of plan. I ran the gamut of every emotion I felt—which was pretty much all of them. I let my heart fill up with all the love I felt for
Mason, and I allowed it to rip open as I was forced to watch him die. I thought about my mom and dad and grandma, and I thought about how much I hated them.

  My biggest advantage was in the fact that they would not remember anything. I just needed to pick the most opportune moment to go back to, which is a lot harder than it sounds. I tried to go back to when I first emerged from my cell. Nothing. I tried to go back to when Sheridan first came in. Nothing. I tried a thousand different moments, before I realized, that because he was my focus, he would actually have to be in the room, too. Crap!

  It’s like a slideshow from hell was playing in my head, but unfortunately it was a necessary evil. And finally, my brain froze on the moment I’d been looking for. I would be cutting it close, but apparently, it was my best and only option. It would be just before he came in, and I was going to have to make the most of what little time I had.

  The moment was frozen behind my eyelids and every ounce of me struggled to get back there. My heart, my mind, my body, and my soul all struggled to propel me back to that one pivotal moment that could change everything. I had really never wanted anything more in my life than I wanted this, and I prayed that I was strong enough to save him, because right now, I was certain I wasn’t strong enough to live without him.

  I felt a wrenching, fluttering, plunging sensation behind my belly button, almost as if I were on a roller coaster, and my eyes flew open. I watched in fascination and horror as everything that had happened ran in reverse. It was kind of like hitting the rewind button on the DVR, except for the fact that it was real, and I was right smack in the middle of it. The images flashed by so quickly that they began to blur, and I had to close my eyes as a wave of dizziness washed down upon me.

  The disorientation only lasted for a few moments, and then I had the sensation of being jerked to an abrupt halt. My heart beat loudly in my ears as I opened my eyes. It was time to see what I was really capable of.

  Sheridan and I were deadlocked. We’d thrown everything at each other but the kitchen sink. Our shields were still up and we were still focused on each other, but neither of us attacked. It was then that Mason burst through the door and charged at her, but her shield was still up, so I still couldn’t reach her, but it gave me a brief moment to collect myself and ready my attack.

  Her hand raised and Mason flew across the room and stuck to the wall just as before. It was at this crucial moment that her shield had momentarily been weakened. Her energy was divided between holding Mason and holding her shield; she wasn’t powerful enough to fuel them both. Earlier, I had taken advantage of this weakness by repeatedly slamming her into the wall, which had done nothing, but this time she was going to get a lot worse than banging into a wall.

  I focused all of my attention on her, just like I’d done with Chloe and Erin, and there had been two of them! Surely I could manage one demented witch! I tried to project my consciousness and my will into an astral form, which is kinda like a ghost version of myself appearing somewhere that I’m not, essentially I was going to make two of me. It was a little different than what I’d done before, but I was suddenly seized by the brilliance of it. It would definitely work!

  Her eyes widened as she turned to look at me. She must have felt what I was trying to do, and she was quick to slam her shield back into place. Unfortunately for her, it was already too late. She turned to the side and saw my astral self standing right beside her.

  “No!” she screamed as the other transparent version of me jumped inside her body.

  It took a moment to get my bearings, I felt like I was drowning in evil, and I couldn’t breathe. I almost jumped back out, but then I calmed down and focused on the task at hand, not the body I currently occupied.

  I walked over to the shell of myself, since my mind and body were currently in two different places. It was weird, me but not me at the same time. My progress was halting and slow, because Sheridan was fighting me with everything she had.

  Once the body I controlled reached the dormant version of myself, I reached down and opened my fisted palm. The ebb and flow of that pulsing light winked up at me. I hadn’t been sure it would work, but I’d grabbed a small amount of Snowflake’s powder before I’d come back and it had paid off.

  I had to struggle to force Sheridan’s hand into picking it up. Her hand had instantly begun to smoke around the little mound of powder, and the pain was excruciating, since I was in her body I could feel it, too. I dreaded what I’d have to do next, because I knew it would make this feel like a tickle, but I would do it as quickly as possible and jump back into my own body.

  I raised my cupped palm to my mouth, poured the powder in, and swallowed as quickly as I could. I … she … whatever, stumbled. It was like swallowing razor blades, molten-hot flames, and broken glass all at once, and I quickly fled to the safety and comfort of my own body.

  She collapsed, writhing on the floor, and screaming in pain, and David, who’d been watching Sheridan and I very closely, quickly grabbed the knife and ran straight for Mason. I didn’t even need to think about it this time, I sent my spirit out searching for him, and before I knew it I was looking out through his eyes.

  And if I’d thought being inside Sheridan was bad, this was way, way worse. I felt like I was drowning in acid, being boiled in oil, and having the flesh stripped from my bones. It was awful!

  I glanced at Mason still hanging on the wall, but it wasn’t Sheridan who still held him. It was me. I wasn’t going to give him the slightest chance of getting himself killed again, and if he was loose, that’s exactly what he would do. I would release him when David was dead. I’d already watched that blade pierce his heart once; no way was I going to let it happen twice.

  David’s hand shook as I forced him to turn the knife toward himself. I had to use every ounce of strength I possessed to accomplish it. I’d used a lot of power on traveling back and also on possessing Sheridan, and I was growing weaker by the moment.

  The knife edged slowly and steadily closer to his heart, but it was taking everything I had to keep control of him. I felt the sharp point of the knife touch his chest, but then it slowly began to move backwards. It was like taking two steps forward and five steps back, and I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it up, but I knew I had to. The only other choice was to let Mason die, and I wasn’t even willing to consider that.

  The tug of war between David and myself seemed to drag on into infinity, and the longer it lasted the weaker I became, and as I weakened he grew stronger. It was becoming very apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to do this on my own, and there was only one other person here to help me. Even though I knew I couldn’t afford to lose my focus, I glanced up to see Mason struggling against his invisible restraints.

  “For God’s sake, Allie, let me go!” he yelled, and I got the impression it wasn’t the first time.

  I’d been so focused on destroying David that I’d blocked everything else out. I also noticed that he’d looked at David when he’d spoken to me. Of course, he would know what I was doing; he could sense which powers I was using.

  In that moment, I realized what I would have to do. I didn’t like it, and it was way too risky, but I was out of options. I left his body momentarily and allowed him to take another step toward Mason, and as soon as that evil smile lit his face, as soon as he thought he’d won, I jumped back in and rammed the knife into his chest.

  I wasn’t strong enough to push it all the way into his heart but Mason was. “Help me,” I said weakly as I let Mason go.

  He was across the room in an instant with both of his hands wrapped around the blade. “Allie, get out! Now!” he yelled.

  I quickly jumped back into my own body and slowly stood up on legs that felt like wet noodles. I stumbled over to where Mason and David stood, and I watched as David’s eyes widened in horror, but my eyes snapped back to Mason as he began to speak.

  He inched the knife in a little further. “That’s for Alexandria and Brian.” A little further. “That�
��s for Matt.” Further still. “This is for all your other innocent victims.” A tiny bit more. “And this … this is for, Allie” he finished as he finally drove the blade home.

  David made a strange gurgling sound as the light faded from his eyes, and Mason let his lifeless body fall to the floor.

  It was over. It was finally all over. Thank God, I thought, as my wobbly legs finally gave out and I crumpled to the floor. Mason was quick to run to my side, and I wrapped my arms around him with a strength I didn’t know I had and refused to let go. I alternated between sobbing and laughing, and his neck was wet with my tears. “You’re alive,” I said weakly. “You’re alive. Oh God, Mason, I thought I’d lost you forever. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. All I could do was drown. It was horrible! How did you ever survive it?”

  His face was a mask of confusion and concern, and I suddenly remembered that he had no idea what I was talking about. He probably thought I’d fried my brain, so he just smiled at me and answered my question.

  “How did I survive so long without you?” he asked. I nodded. “For this moment and all the moments before and all the moments yet to come. You were worth the wait, and all the pain I felt over losing you paled in comparison to the joy I felt when I finally found you. I would’ve waited forever Allie.”

  I was too overcome by emotion to say anything, so I let my body speak for me. I pulled him down beside me and fastened my lips to his as my body wrapped sensuously around him. My legs intertwined with his and my arms were wrapped snugly around him. I could feel his heart beating against mine, and the warmth of his skin seeped into my bones. He was alive. I was alive. There was nothing else standing in our way. Tears began to leak from my eyes once again, and he pulled away and looked down at me.

  “Hey,” he whispered as he wiped a tear from my cheek. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I’m just so happy,” I laughed through the tears.

  He smiled. “Me too, but I’ll be a lot happier once we’re outta here. You ready?”