Changeling (Black Petals Book 2)

by Marie, Tarisa

  His smile falters but barely. “What you’ve put me through? What about what I’ve put you through?” he wonders, looking surprised.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I mutter, unable to restrain myself a moment longer. “I want you, Aiden. I don’t care if it’s giving my life to the demons or risking it for them. I don’t care if I have to spend every day worry about whether or not we’ll be under attack. I love you and I’m so sorry. I was confused and…”

  He cuts me off with his lips as they meet mine and part in the slightest. His breath invades my senses, smelling like peppermint and musk or maybe that’s just him in general. I can’t tell because I’m in sensory overload as he presses against me and rolls me underneath of him. The fire in his eyes is undeniable as he kisses me once again. This time with thirst, like he needs it to survive another day. It takes my breath away.

  Someone clears their throat, interrupting us. Aiden whips his head around to see who it is. “Uh, sorry, your majesty,” the voice says sarcastically. “But Landon is about to try and give Terry the soul to see if it’s actually his of if it’s some other ancient demon’s soul. We thought you might want to be around for it.” I know the voice belongs to Forrest. He’s always interrupting something or butting his head into something. I scowl.

  Aiden turns back to me, kissing me one last time before rolling off me. “Okay, Forrest, we’ll be there in a minute,” he answers with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.

  I hear Forrest take off towards the house. I wonder how his chest is doing. Obviously good enough for him to run all the way here and interrupt us.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” I say harshly through clenched teeth. I’m ready to beat the shit out of Forrest.

  Aiden chuckles and the glimmer in his eyes begins to simmer. “I guess we better go. We’ll continue this...later.”

  I can’t help but smile as he helps me up off of the sand. “Fine,” I groan.

  A smirk places itself on his lips. “Want to race back?”

  I scowl at him. “You’re way faster than me. You’re basically a super demon and I’m just a newbie demon.”

  He ignores me and grins before lurching forward.

  “Not fair!” I shout while racing after him. “Now I’m definitely going to lose!”

  Chapter 15

  “Okay, so we need to send about sixty-five more of our men in each sweep,” Aiden explains, drawing a path and lines on a map. “We’ll need to approach at ten minute intervals. We’ll have ten waves of men and women set up as outlined here,” he sends his pointer finger down the page to where he’s drawn groups. “The last group will be your group, Forrest. You will deliver the final blow.”

  Forrest nods. “Then we come back here, those of us remaining, and we move forward with the plan. We put that soul into my father.”

  Aiden nods. “Right. This is just a distraction so that they don’t attack the castle again. We need to get to them before they get to us again. We need to keep them on their toes. They’ll never expect us to have what we have as a weapon.”

  “We put the soul in Terry and you drink that crap that merges your darkness and light.” Forrest nods over to the kitchen table where a small vial of blue liquid sits. Landon worked on it all night. “Am I the only one that’s really unsure about this?”

  We all exchange glances. No one disagrees with him. This is really going out on a limb. We’re putting our faith in a legend, in an old alchemy tale that could be just coincidentally related to our case here.

  Aiden pulls the map from the table and rolls it up. He hands it to Forrest. “You’ll be sending each group off at the right time. Terry goes in the first wave of guards because from what we understand, he can’t be easily killed, not right now.

  Terry raises an eyebrow. “You fools better be right about this. We all know what the first wave is going to end with, what it always ends with. If I end up actually being killable and this legend crap is all a myth, then I will die in that wave. That whole wave is going to die.”

  Aiden grins. “Terry, I have a good feeling about this.” Aiden pats Terry’s shoulder before turning to a bored looking Crispen. “Now, Crispen, you’re going to throw that brass shavings grenade you have through the window. Just before the first wave comes through. It’ll catch them off guard and distract them. It’ll also incapacitate many of them.”

  I know all about brass shavings. I recall the time when Mason used one to save me from Blayk. The pain was unbearable. I wince and Crispen winks at me, knowing what I’m thinking.

  Mason sends a look of apology my way as if he’s thinking the same thing I am.

  Aiden walks across the room and grabs a list he has set down on a counter. “Forrest, this is the list of the demons in each wave and which weapons each wave has.”

  Aiden comes towards me in a quick pace. He wears a pair of track pants and that is it. “Mason, Aria, and I will be going after the smaller group that’s positioned in Montana. It should be easy enough. Landon. You need to stay here with Megan and make sure nothing happens to her.”

  I roll my eyes. “I’m coming. I can fight.” Sort of.

  Aiden looks at me with pleading eyes. “No, you’re staying. You’re a pure and you’re not completely trained for battle anyhow.”

  I scowl. “Let me come. I want to help.”

  Terry looks from me to Aiden. “She is a grown woman.”

  At least someone is on my side.

  Mason’s eyebrows shoot up. “She is, yes, but she’s also very breakable untrained and is better off here. Am I the only one who remembers that she is needed for what’s to come?”

  Crispen scoffs. “She won’t die. If she were fated to die, then she wouldn’t be in the prophecy at all. The war is only beginning. The worst is yet to come. There are more rebels than we initially thought. They’ve been busy.”

  “Are you wanting to put all your money down on that bet?” Aiden asks. “You think she won’t die because she’s in the prophecy?”

  “You’re putting bets on Terry being virtually not killable, what’s the difference?”

  Aiden murmurs something under his breath. “I’m in charge and what I say goes.”

  No one argues. Well, except for me. “I’m coming, Aiden. Seriously. At least give me something I can do. I want to help.”

  Landon looks at me. I see in his eyes that he too doesn’t want me going anywhere near the danger. “Megan, stay here with me and help me get things ready. I could use an extra hand.”

  I know he’s just going to give me some bullshit job if I stay to make me feel important because I’m no alchemist and I can’t do much to help him.

  “We’re attacking a group of twenty-five or so changelings. That’s no problem at all for you, Mason, and I. Actually, it’s going to be a piece of cake. Aiden, we can take Megan. She won’t be harmed. All three of us care about her deeply and we won’t let anyone touch her.” Aria pleads my case. I want to hug her.

  Aiden sighs and nods, giving in. “Fine, but if things go sideways, it’s on you to get her out of there, Aria.”

  Aria agrees and pulls me into the bedroom she’s been staying in with Crispen. She pulls out her suitcase and ruffles through it. She finds a pair of sweats and hands them to me. “Wear these and this.” She pulls out a thin tank top. “You need to be able to move.”

  I take the clothing from her and pull of my shirt. “Thanks, Aria. I didn’t think he was going to let me go.”

  She giggles. “I didn’t either, but he’s always had a weak spot for me. And anyways, you should come. You’re just as much a part of this as I am. It wouldn’t be fair to make you stay here just because Aiden doesn’t want you getting scratched. By the way, Megan, what is going on between you and Mason?”

  I freeze with the tank top halfway on. “Uh, we kind of...well, he kind of dumped me. Well, sort of. I…” I’m not sure how to say this. “I’m with Aiden.”

  Instead of her rolling her eyes at me or her jaw dropping in dismay, she gig
gles. “Oh, Megan, do you ever have trouble making up your mind!”

  “Tell me about it,” I mutter. “For the record, Crispen and I didn’t ever really have anything and Mason and I...I really like Mason as a friend, a really good friend, but I just...it’s different with Aiden, you know? I thought it’d be better, safer for me to stay away from him, but I’ve realized that it’s not worth the pain of being away. After coming face-to-face with death, I’ve realized that I’m not scared to die. I’m more scared of living a life without Aiden in it.”

  Aria smirks and then bursts out in laughter. “You know what I think? You just want to be queen demon or whatever.” I know she’s teasing but it still hurts a little.

  “That’s actually the last thing I want to be. I’m not even ready to be a demon, but look at me. This is all so crazy. I’m...I’m scared.”

  Her smile falters. “We all are, Megan. This is big, but if you’ve managed to find a light in all of this darkness, then hold the hell onto it. It’s that light that’ll carry you through all this pain and loss. And let me tell you, there will be loss. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve fought a lot in my lifetime and I’m no genius, but I’m doing the math here. There is a strong chance that at least some of us aren’t going to make it through this war.”

  The thought is knee buckling. I’ve come to love many of the people in this house, well, all of them really, like family. I can’t imagine any one of them dying. The thought is just plain terrifying.

  “There’s always great loss in war, but remember why we have to do this. Don’t hesitate, Megan, because it’ll cost you your life. The other side won’t hesitate. If you have to kill someone, then that’s what you do.” She finally wraps a belt around my waist. “You’ll have to get weapons from Aiden or someone because all my knives were made for hunters and have brass handles so they can’t be used against us by demons in a fight.”

  I thank her and wrap my arms around her, noticing that I feel no pull to take her soul. Maybe it’s because I’m so scared or maybe it’s because I’m gaining that much more control. I don’t know.

  Before we leave, Aiden downs the blue mixture in the vial that Landon has conjured. He admits that he doesn’t feel any different after taking it, and Landon tells him it may take a few hours to take effect.

  I assume that we’re going to take a plane to Montana but Aiden has other ideas and it’s not going through the portal system either. We step out onto the porch and Aiden disappears with Mason. Then Aiden reappears, grabs my arm, and suddenly we’re no longer on the porch.

  We’re in a forested area. I stare at Mason who also looks wide-eyed at me. “Uh…” I trail off. What just happened? My heart hammers in surprise. Then Aria appears a few feet from us.

  Aiden’s chuckle snaps me out of my terror. What is so funny?

  “He’s a walking portal.” Mason gapes. “Oh for the love of god, is there anything you can’t do?” Mason looks completely taken aback. “That explains so much you know. How you just disappear at times. Oh, and how you get to hell and back so quick all the time.”

  Confused, I stare between the two men. Aiden sports a sexy smirk that immediately has my heart racing even though I should have other things to worry about.

  “Did you know this?” Mason asks me. “Scratch that, clearly you didn’t. You looked as confused as I did when we got here.”

  “What is going on?” I ask them, my eyebrows merging.

  Mason grins and shakes his head. “You tell her, Aiden. I need to hear this for myself too.”

  Aiden taps his chin with his forefinger in thought. “I can transport myself and one other at a time to somewhere I’ve been before. Even if it’s between hell and the human plane.”

  “You can teleport?” I ask incredulously.

  He chuckles. “That’s one way to put it I guess. I don’t tell people this. Not even Terry knows about it, but I really didn’t want to waste a bunch of time on a plane today and I trust the three of you, so…”

  Mason crosses his arms. “You didn’t answer my other question. Is there anything you can’t do?”

  Aiden shrugs and wets his top lip. “Yeah. I’m not a god.”

  Mason looks at Aiden like he’s lost his mind. “Pretty damn close,” he mutters under his breath.

  “It takes a lot out of me. I can’t do it if I’m injured or weak.”

  I guess that explains why he didn’t do it when he was getting dragged to the fiery pits of hell.

  “So you’ve been here before?” Mason asks Aiden, eyeing our surroundings. “To this...forest?”

  Aiden nods. “So have you. Do you not remember chasing me through these trees fifty years ago?”

  Mason’s face falls and a light bulb seems to come on in his head.

  “Exactly,” Aiden mutters and starts forward. We follow him for a few minutes at a human pace until we reach the edge of a tree line. We’re on the edge of a small town. We walk in front of a grocery store and Aiden tries the door handle of a car. I send a look his way. What is he doing?

  Aria voices what I am about to. “What are you doing?”

  Aiden sighs. “Stealing a car. What does it look like?”

  Aria gapes and I find myself too a little taken aback.

  Aiden knocks on the window of a car with a young man in it. The man rolls down his window with a huge smile spread across his face. “How can I help you, folks?”

  “Get out of the car and let me take it,” Aiden tells the man in a seductive voice.

  Aria’s hand flies to her mouth. “Aiden, you are not compelling a human right now!”

  “We need a car,” Aiden all but snaps at his sister.

  The man gets out of his car and offers it to Aiden who jumps in. He then sends a look our way telling us we’d better get in too. We do. As Aiden backs up I smack his shoulder lightly. “What was that?”

  Aiden stops the car. “Okay, I am a demon if all you’ve forgotten. Stealing a car isn’t exactly the worst thing I’ve done in my life. Get over it.” He throws open the door of the car and approaches the young man who stares at his abducted car in a daze.

  Aiden puts a hand on his shoulder and leads him back to the car. He tosses him into the front nearly on top of Mason. Aria and I sit wide-eyed in the back as Aiden throws the car in reverse again and pulls out of the parking lot. He takes the guy’s collar and pulls him forward onto his lap. Only seconds later does Aiden begin pulling the guy’s soul from his fragile, teenage body.

  A need stirs inside of me and I push it down knowing that it’s wrong on so many levels. I shouldn’t want to kill a human, but I do.

  Aria’s look of pure horror brings back emotions in me that I haven’t felt in too long. They’re not as much emotions as memories of emotions. Aiden is killing a human. A human that has done no wrong and not even because he needs to to survive. He’s doing it for sport.

  “Stop!” Aria begs.

  Aiden looks back at Aria and I’s shocked faces and grins as he finishes the soul and the rolls down the window to throw it out. The body bounces on the road with a sickening crunch that I don’t miss. Mason looks a little surprised but not nearly as pained and hurt as Aria does. Aria is shaken to the very bone.

  “What the hell, Aiden!” she cries.

  I grip her hand in mine trying to comfort her even though I know that I am incapable of feeling the same emotion that she is right now. I am not human and that one human life means little to me even though I know I should be completely disturbed right now.

  Aria’s sadness and shock turns to anger. “Aiden! What the hell?!” she tries again.

  I can’t help but notice a small smile on Aiden’s lips. “I was a little hungry.”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to just snatch up a poor human teenager and take his soul!” she argues, looking to Mason and I for support.

  I hesitate. “Aiden, you shouldn’t have done that. You took an entire soul and we all know you didn’t need to to survive.”

  Aiden looks back at me.
“You’re right, love, I didn’t need it. I wanted it. You can’t say that you didn’t want it too, Megan.”

  Aria’s gaze snaps towards me, eyes wide. She’s waiting for me to tell him he’s wrong, but I can’t.

  “Mason?” Aria pleads, giving up on me and pulling her hand away.

  Mason tenses. “We’re demons, Aria. We feel no guilt upon taking human souls. I have to admit that it’s off character of Aiden to have done this, but like he said, he is a demon.”

  No one speaks for the rest of the ride besides Aiden humming to radio.

  We stop a few miles from our destination and walk the rest of the way so we don’t alert them to our approach. I grip the brass-bladed knife on my belt as I take off with Aiden towards the old church the rebels are supposed to be inside.

  The first thing I hear is the giggle of a little kid. We descend into the church’s basement and find a man about my age with long blonde hair and a nose piercing along with a little girl who has the same long blond hair but appears to be almost a decade younger than the man. The little girl is climbing onto the man’s back for a piggy back ride.

  Aiden removes a knife from his belt and throws it at the man. It slices into his chest and he falls to the ground sending the little girl flying backwards. She lands on her back. She jumps back, eyes wide before screaming and running in the opposite direction of us. If the rebels didn’t know we were here yet, they sure do now.

  Aiden pulls the knife from the man’s chest and raises his hand as if he’s about to throw it at the little girl.

  “Don’t!” I shout. Laney, Darius’s little girl comes to mind and there’s no way that I can let Aiden kill a child.

  “This is war, Megan,” he fumes. “This is why I didn’t want to bring you.”

  “She’s just a girl, Aiden, let her live,” I beg.

  Mason bites his bottom lip. “She’s no threat to us, Aiden.”

  Aria looks shocked that Aiden and Mason were even considering killing the girl.

  Aiden all but sneers,” They’ve taken our children. They didn’t care. Babies and all. They’ve killed dozens of our kids.”