by M. R. Polish
I kept shaking my head. “Ailaina, I would love to be happy for you, but Davin is the Death Keeper. You can’t do this. You don’t even know him.”
She stood and walked over to me. “If I can believe you’re a witch thousands of miles away on a phone, then I would hope that you can understand that there is something between us. I don’t know what it is, but it’s there. It’s not love, not yet, but I’m happy, and excited.”
My mouth went completely dry. “What does this mean for us?”
“It means she’ll be taken care of,” Davin’s voice sounded behind me.
I twirled around to see him leaning with his shoulder against the wall by the bathroom door. “You,” I seethed.
He held his arms up. “I didn’t do anything. When this little beaut came to see me, I was in shock. I took one look at her and something inside me awakened.”
“You can’t do this. You wanted me. Ailaina wasn’t part of that deal.”
“Es, sweetheart, we never made the deal, remember?”
“I’ll make it now,” I pleaded. I couldn’t lose my friend to the Death Keeper. I just couldn’t.
“No, Es, it’s my decision. Besides, I already made the deal.” Ailaina walked over to him and he reached out for her hand.
My whole body went numb.
“She’ll be safe from Nicholas and everyone else.”
“What about you? Will she be safe from you?”
He laughed. “I’m the least of her worries. Trust me.”
Hearing the Death Keeper say ‘trust me’ didn’t really instill any comfort.
“I’ll tell you what. Since I really don’t want to kill you, and because my deal with Ailaina is over if I do, I will give you the exact directions to where Nicholas is, and I will give you something that can kill him. I want to make a deal, Esmerelda.”
The red in his eyes danced. Time seemed to have slowed down and the world stopped spinning. “What’s your deal?”
“I give you what you need to end Nicholas quickly, and in return you owe me one favor.”
“What favor?”
He wrapped his arm around Ailaina’s shoulder, making her smile wider. She was truly happy, but I just couldn’t understand. Was it his dark magic? Had he enchanted or cursed her?
He smiled. “Not now, later. When I need a favor I want to be able to call on you. If you take this deal but fail to come through on my favor, then I will kill you and bring you with me to the Underworld.”
“You mean take me to Hell.” I heard my voice, but it seemed so far away, not something that came from me.
“Yes, you can call it that, I suppose. Do we have a deal? I know for a fact that if Nicholas’s deal goes through and you die, he will kill all of your family. Everyone you love will be tortured with your powers that I will have to bestow upon him once I take you.”
I cringed. That brought me out of my dream state. “Deal.”
Fifteen
Esmerelda
I stared at the sparkling liquid inside the vial Davin gave me. The blue fluid coated the glass as I turned it over in my hands. I was numb. Ailaina was gone and all I had was this vial of death.
“We’ll get her back, Es.” My dad propped his foot up on the table over by the window. I hated this hotel room. I hated Spain. I wanted to go home, but didn’t even know where that was. The last home I had was Jarak’s and every second made me wonder how much longer he had. I hated everything.
“Es, honey,” my mom coaxed. “We have what we need to kill Nicholas. After we do that, then we know he can’t hurt any more people, mortal or immortal. The Death Keeper won’t have to kill you. If you’re alive there is still hope for Ailaina, but if you give up she’s all but lost.”
I nodded. “You’re right. I just don’t understand. She acted so happy, yet… I don’t know.” I rubbed my face and let out a frustrated groan. “Things just keep getting harder. First, I had to wake up the other witches, now it’s kill Nicholas, then it’s fight the devil to save my best friend. I mean, come on, I’m only one woman.”
“Everything in life you love is worth fighting for.”
Ugh, I hated when she sounded so wise. I looked up at Ian, who stood with his arms folded, looking back at me. I had to kill Nicholas. I couldn’t have him hurt anyone I loved. “Yeah, I know.”
I fidgeted with my hands in my lap. Before I took off on this adventure, there were things I needed to do. Things I needed to know. There was no way I would let Ian fight beside me with no magic. “Mom,” I started quietly, “how do I give a gift?”
Her brows rose in surprise. “Um, well, first you have to bond emotionally.”
My dad faked a coughing fit and thumped his chest, rising from the chair across the room. “I think I need to get some air.” He left the room faster than I’ve ever seen him move. “Come on, Ian, I think some fresh air would be good.”
“I think you’re absolutely right.”
They both darted to the door and left before either my mom or I could laugh at their hasty retreat.
I smiled as the door closed, then looked back to my mom. “I know about that part, that is done. I mean, well, we don’t need to talk about that part.”
She released a long breath. “Alright, I wasn’t prepared for this. I always thought we could talk about it under different, or even normal, circumstances. Kind of like the way it should’ve been.”
“Mom, it wasn’t your fault I was taken. But, you can help me right now. If things go bad I need to know that Ian has a way to fight back—magically.”
She moistened her lips. “Sweetheart, it doesn’t work that way. We can only give a gift to the one we bond with, but we can’t force a gift onto a non-magical soul. Ian has a supernatural soul because he is a guardian, but he’s not magical. If his soul isn’t ready to accept the gift you have to offer, it won’t work.”
“Then how does it work? I need to try. Maybe he is ready. How will I know if he doesn’t accept it?” I buried my face in my hands. “This is all so confusing.”
My mom took my hands, pulled them away from my face, and kept them in hers. “Es, you will know. There will be a time when you feel his soul ignite against your own. Right now your entities are only beginning to mingle together. Have you ever watched your dad and me together?”
I nodded.
“We weren’t always so in sync. We fumbled many times and argued over keeping each other’s feeling to ourselves. In the beginning it was hard. You feel emotions that you don’t understand and have no way of pushing them aside. But, after a while, you will pick up on those feelings and use them as your own. You can feel what your partner needs, and what you can do to help them. Then, one day it will feel like a perfect union. But, somewhere in between the beginning and the perfect union you will feel the spark. The warmth fills your soul and you will know that you are eternally bonded and his soul is a part of yours.
“It isn’t until then that you can try to gift Ian anything. You will have to use what you know to help him until then, because until that moment, his soul is still separate and he’s not immortal.”
I choked back the dry lump that formed in my throat. “So Nicholas can still kill him, and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t help him. I can’t even give him a gift.”
She squeezed my hands. “Sweetheart, Nicholas can kill you too. Don’t forget that. Just because you are immortal, doesn’t mean death can’t find you. It just makes it harder. There are poisons, spells, and dark magic that can accomplish this. Please be careful.”
I nodded again. “Okay. So when I feel this so-called-spark, how do I give the gift?”
“Well, after that happens, you push your magic toward him and his soul will take the power he can handle the best. So, while you give the gift, you don’t get to chose.”
“Not what I thought, but I understand. It makes sense. Now I just have to wait.”
She let go of my hands. “Es, trust me, when you have forever, this will be just a small moment. Giving a gift is su
ch a strong passionate moment; there is no need to rush it.”
I heaved a long sigh. “Yeah, unless our forever is cut short. You said so yourself; Nicholas can kill us.”
“Don’t think about that. You need to keep your mind clear so you can focus.”
A click sounded as someone unlocked the door. My dad poked his head through. “Is it safe to come back? Ian and I are ready.”
“Yeah, we’re ready.” I let out a long breath.
Ian came in and grabbed my hand to help me up. He didn’t let go of it all the way to the rental car, and I was grateful he never mentioned anything about my talk with my mom. I wasn’t sure if he knew how the gift was given or not, and honestly, thinking about the intimacy it required made me blush and get heated at the same time.
He hesitated before opening my door, then he shut it again. Gently, he pushed me back up against the car and ran the back of his hand down my face, bracing himself with his other arm on the car. Leaning in, he kissed me. His lips feathered mine softly, the tip of his tongue teasing mine before deepening the kiss, crushing my mouth to his. He leaned back just enough to break the kiss. I was breathless and I knew he wasn’t far from it either. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m glad it wasn’t you that the Death Keeper took. I can’t live without you now.”
I gulped, still trying to catch my breath. “I know.”
My dad parked their car along the road ahead of us and Ian followed suit. I opened the door before the car was completely stopped and jumped out, gripping the vial in my hands tightly as I marched toward the house hidden behind the trees. Nicholas must have had at least ten acres of just trees surrounding his villa.
“Es, wait up,” Ian called out to me.
“Yes, Es, wait for us,” my dad repeated.
Waiting was not what I wanted to do. Each day I had to delay the inevitable made me crankier. I was so tired of the whole thing: the crossbreeds, the wondering if I would die today, the no sleeping, all of it. Still, I slowed down a bit so they could catch up.
My dad spoke first. “We need a plan. We can’t just go marching in there. Remember, there are others in there besides Nicholas. Ailaina said there was a demon-like lady, along with Julie and whoever else. We need to be prepared.”
“What about Jarak? Do you think he’s in there? We haven’t even found or heard from Maztic in so long…” I couldn’t think about that now. I needed to stay positive.
Ian grabbed my free hand. “Whatever or whoever is in there, is going down.”
I nodded. We crept up to the edge of the three-story house and listened. A woman’s laugh came from inside. “You’re a poor pathetic excuse for a man.”
A thump and then a grunt sounded before the slam of a door. I jumped. I couldn’t help it. My nerves were so on edge, I probably would’ve jumped at a fly.
So many mixed emotions coursed through me that my stomach churned worse than the sea in a hurricane. I swallowed, trying to keep the burning acid down as I glared at Ian. “Would you please keep your feelings to yourself right now,” I hissed under my breath.
He told me to shush with his finger to his mouth and shook his head.
I rolled my eyes. It’s not like I was shouting or anything.
Luna brushed against my leg. “He’s just worried about you. We all are.”
Hela was next to my dad and Dregan materialized beside to Ian at the same time. “He’s sorry, you know. He’s not trying to make anything harder on you. He has the same problem right now, all of your emotions are mixed with his. One day you will learn how to separate and decipher them, but until then you need to concentrate.” Dregan’s deep growl echoed in my head.
I usually loved how the wolves were always so wise and insightful, but right now it just irritated the heck out of me. Another door inside the house slammed, bringing me back to the task at hand. My dad poked his head up just enough to see through the window. He held one finger up before squatting back down to creep along to the next window. We followed his lead, my mom right behind me and Ian in front. I didn’t want to be out here, I wanted to be in the house ending this before any of them got hurt.
Again, my dad poked his head up to look through the window. Quickly, he squat back down. He looked at each of us and held up his whole hand. I wasn’t sure what startled him so much, but five was nothing—if that’s what his hand with fingers splayed meant. I just took on seven at the park with Luna.
We crept along the house until we got to the corner by the front. My dad held out his arm, stopping us. He looked at my mom and raised two fingers. She dashed to the front of our little line and peeked around the corner.
“Es,” Luna said. “Hela says your dad saw Jarak in the first room.”
Hope flared inside me. She didn’t say he was alive, but she didn’t say dead either. “Thanks.” My mind whirred with so many plans to save him.
Ian gave me a hard stare. I forgot for a moment that he could feel what I felt. I knew Ian was just as excited about saving his brother.
My mom raised her hands. A soft white fog rolled away from her and out of my sight. I heard a gagging sound then my dad ran around the house. Ian and I followed.
My dad grabbed one of the crossbreeds standing guard by the front door, who my mom caught with her magic, and Ian caught the other. In seconds they were gone. I gave my mom a smile before dashing past my dad and Ian, opening the front door without any of them. I was done waiting.
“Es!” Dregan called out. “Wait for Ian.”
“No.” I ran through the first hallway, down to the room where my dad had five fingers up. I stopped to listen.
“She’ll come. She won’t refuse a chance to kill me.” Nicholas’s voice was loud and clear.
“And if she doesn’t?” a voice I didn’t recognize asked. It was a woman’s, at least I think it was. It was raspy and borderline scratchy.
“She will.” Nicholas sounded too sure of himself.
I tiptoed away from that room. As much as I wanted to hear what else they were talking about, I needed to save Jarak. I found the other room and tried the door. It swung open easily. A hand found its way to my back, making me freeze. I looked over my shoulder at Ian. How did I not feel him get closer? I let out a quiet sigh of relief, and then looked back at the open door.
Why wasn’t it locked? If it wasn’t locked, then maybe Jarak wasn’t held hostage, but that would mean he traded sides. Then a different thought flew through my mind. What if that meant he was already dead? I pushed the door open farther and looked around. At first I didn’t see him, but then a small, if barely visible, movement came from the corner. Slumped down in an awkward position that would be uncomfortable even for the dead, was Jarak.
“Luna, tell Hela that we found Jarak.”
Nothing.
“Luna,” I said again. My heart raced. I felt out but couldn’t feel her. It felt like a part of my soul was ripped from my chest. I looked at Ian. His jaw was clenched and he grabbed my hand, squeezing tight. He must have felt my detachment. “Dregan?” I dared to whisper. Again, like with Luna, there was nothing.
Our wolves were gone. I wasn’t sure how, but they were. Then I raced over to Jarak. He was barely breathing, just a slow ragged rise to his chest giving a sign of life. Dark circles were under his eyes; he tried to open them but failed.
Ian dropped to his knees. I gave him a questioning stare. “We need to help him,” he whispered.
“Maz,” Jarak tried to talk.
Instantly I understood. Without our wolves we’d die. I needed to find Maztic for Jarak. Looking at the window, I began formulating a plan. I darted over to it and opened it, letting in a swift draft of warm air. Ian nodded at me, almost giving me the permission to leave without him. Quickly, I jumped outside, my feet hitting the thick grass. Thankfully, Jarak’s room was on the first floor. Luna was beside me instantly.
“Es, it’s bad. I couldn’t help you. Just like your dreams when I couldn’t reach you.” Luna’s voice was panicked. “We
found Maztic, but he’s not good.”
I nodded my head. “I know, Jarak isn’t good either. Get my dad, I need some help.”
She disappeared, leaving me to sit under the window where Jarak—and if I didn’t hurry, Ian—was dying. My dad and mom came around the corner of the house where they waited for us, watching as lookouts.
“What’s going on? What do you need?” My dad was so quiet I had to strain to hear him.
I relayed what I needed to Luna, who could talk to Hela and then in turn to my dad. It was a game of telephone, but I couldn’t chance Nicholas overhearing me and ruining our chance to save Jarak—especially with Ian inside with him.
A hand grasped the windowsill, making me jump. Ian was crawling outside. My dad showed up just in time to help him get the rest of the way out. Dregan was next to Ian before I could blink. Ian slumped down in the grass with his back against the siding.
“I could feel my energy draining so I left.” Ian took a deep breath. Dregan pushed his muzzle under Ian’s hand.
I glanced at Dad. I still hadn’t gotten a response to my plan. He held his breath for a moment then nodded. My heart rejoiced that he wasn’t going to argue with me about it. He was going to go with Ian to get Maztic, and my mom and I would crawl back through the window to get Jarak. We were the ones who wouldn’t get weak inside the house. At least, I hoped I wouldn’t considering I was only half guardian, or maybe it would take me longer to feel the effects? Either way, it was the best plan.
The guys took off, and I crawled back through the window quietly. I turned to help my mom, but she was already through. We both raced over to Jarak. Mom glanced at me with sad eyes and I knew what she thought. I wasn’t sure how he was still alive either.
I picked up his legs and she took his upper half, grabbing underneath his shoulders. He was heavy, but it was his floppy body that made it hard to carry him to the window. I heard a voice in the hall and froze. I didn’t start breathing again until I heard footsteps leaving the direction of Jarak’s room. We made it to the window where my dad and Ian were already back and waiting to help.