by Clara Cody
Lucas collected himself and stood smoothing out his jacket. “I see we were wrong about you. You were brave enough to use it. But, are you strong enough to control it? Or does it control you?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” He stepped towards me. “I can help you. I can teach you how to master it, how to make that power your slave.” His eyes burned with intensity. “We can rule them, together.”
“Together?”
“Yes. What you’re feeling now is only a taste of what could be. I could show you how to harness its ability.”
“Don’t listen to him!” Elise stood in the doorway, panting. “It’s not you, Jason. It’s the amulet.”
“She doesn’t understand,” Lucas whispered. “How could she? She’s just a human. It’s not her fault.”
I turned back to him. “Of course not.”
Suddenly, I felt her hands on my arm, trying to turn me. My defense instinct kicked in again, just like with Sean earlier. I didn’t mean to, but the next thing I knew, she was flying across the room. “Elise!” She crashed into the opposite wall and crumpled to the floor. “No!” I flew to her side. “Elise!” No response. She was unconscious. My stomach rolled as I cradled her head. “Elise.” My voice was impossible quiet. She was alive, but I had no idea how hurt she was. And it was my fault. My head dropped, my chest tightened. My fault. Was this how my mother felt? Or my father?
I tore the amulet from my neck and threw it to the ground. Gina made a move for it, but I stopped her with a show of my hand. “Don’t even think about it.”
It was like a weight had been lifted. The power that the amulet held drained slowly from me, trickling out from my fingers, but with that loss came a lightness. I felt like I was floating.
Sean stumbled into the room, holding his side with one hand and the red flannel cloth with the other. I nodded to him and he scooped the amulet up, wrapping it tightly.
“See,” Gina said. “I told you he couldn’t handle it. Pussy.” She pulled a knife from her side. “Let’s just take care of them and get the hell out of here.”
“No,” Lucas said, his voice sounding tired.
She ignored him, pulling the knife behind her head and whipping it towards me.
“No!” Lucas cried. With a great flick of his wrist, the knife was somehow redirected in midair by some unseen force. The blade whizzed by my head, burying itself in the wall behind. He’d moved it. What the hell is this guy?
Lucas turned and slapped Gina across her face with such force that I was surprised her jaw didn’t break clean off. “I told you,” his voice boomed. “We have our orders, and we’re not to hurt them. I’m starting to think I’d be better off without you.”
She spit blood on the floor, her eyes burning. Gina was beautiful, incredibly so, but equally terrifying. I was surprised Lucas didn’t seem to see it.
Lucas turned to me. “My benefactor is very invested in that amulet. We’re going to get it, one way or the other. Aren’t you tired of all this violence and—” A knife appeared suddenly at his throat, slicing. A red, dripping smile appeared in his throat as he clawed at Gina’s arm before falling to the ground.
“Honestly,” she said, wiping her knife off on her pants. “I was starting to think I’d be better off without you, too.” She bent forwards, taking his ring finger in hand. Lucas’s dead eyes looked forwards as she sawed her knife through the bone.
I thought I might puke at the sickening sound. Sean appeared beside me, slipping the covered amulet back in my hand. He nodded, giving me his blessing. Just in case, it said. I nodded back, feeling my gut fill with acid and my chest tighten.
Gina stood, holding up the sawed off finger and pulled the gold ring from it, discarding the gruesome appendage. “I always wanted one of these.” She met my eye. “See ya later, baby.” Without another word, she dove through the barely open window and fell out of sight.
I reached the window just in time to see her running off into the forests at lightening speed.
“Shit!” Sean swore. “She’s getting away!”
I didn’t really care though. She was gone and Lucas was dead. I turned back to Elise who still lay on the floor, unconscious. I whispered her name, kneeling next to her.
Ryan appeared in the doorway. “Jesus, what happened?”
I shook my head. “Later. For now, how’s her dad?”
“Okay. Lacey is with him and Annie. The truck’s running, in case you want to get out of here before anyone else comes back.”
“No one else is coming.”
Elise stirred with a grimace. “Jason?”
“I’m here.”
“What happened?”
“You’re safe, don’t worry. Your dad, too.”
“And you?” She placed a hand on my chest, where the amulet had laid moments ago.
I slipped my hand over hers. “I’m okay too.” I slipped my hand under her cheek. “I—” I felt thick, heavy guilt churning in my stomach. “I’m so sorry, Elise. I’m sorry I hurt you, I didn’t mean to.”
“I know, Jason.”
“I—I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to you. I couldn’t—”
“Shhh, don’t. I’m okay.” She groaned, trying to sit up. “At least I will be when my ribs heal up. Until then, you’re just going to have to take very good care of me.”
I scooped her up in my arms. “It’s a deal.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Elise
It was dusk when I pulled up in front of my father’s house, my dad sitting next to me in the truck. We’d gotten him washed up, but he was still badly bruised. “Are you sure you’re okay, Dad?”
He nodded. “I’d really rather just forget this whole messy affair.”
I couldn’t say that his response surprised me much. That was essentially what he did with any problem he couldn’t solve. My mother, me, now this. It was just the way he was. “You can’t tell them, you know? You can’t tell them anything. It’s not safe for Jason or the rest of the Thornes.”
“Trust me, your boyfriend already gave me the whole spiel. As far as I’m concerned, I got mugged, and the sons of bitches left me in the middle of nowhere.”
“Okay.” I could at least rest assured that he wouldn’t say anything to Carolyn. If there was one thing my father was good at, it was pushing his family away. But I didn’t want to be like that. Not anymore. I took his hand as he reached for the doorknob. “I’m sorry for what I said, Dad. At the restaurant the other night.” I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to go on. “I want to try again. I have some things to figure out at work, but I’ll be back next weekend…and who knows after that. Anyway, I’d like to get together for dinner again. If you want.”
I saw a tear well up in his eye just before he looked away. “Okay. We’ll do that. I—uh…I’m sorry about the restaurant too. Maybe you were right.” He gave a curt nod and patted my hand before slipping from the car. The front door to the house opened as he hobbled up the drive. Carolyn came hurrying down, arms outstretched, fussing over him.
I smiled as I pulled away, hopeful that maybe this time we could really start again.
When I got back to the house, I found everyone out back, barbecuing on the deck. Trout. I smiled, as Jason kissed the top of my head. Sean cracked open a beer and handed it to me.
“Your Dad’s okay?” Jason asked.
“He’ll be fine.”
Lacey and Ryan sat at the picnic table, playing a game of cards, while Silvie watched. Even after everything that happened, here they were, ready to get back to their lives. I’d never known people to be so resilient. The Thornes were like Teflon. I turned to Jason. “I want in.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? We’re quite the handful.”
“A fact I’m well aware of. And yes, I’m totally, and completely sure.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Oh, yeah? Since when?”<
br />
“Hmmm…since the moment you climbed on the back of my four-wheeler. Maybe before.” He cupped the back of my head, pulling me in for a kiss. “All right then. You’re in.”
Someone cleared their throat. I looked over to see Sean looking at us, arms crossed. I was preparing to defend myself once again, when he raised his beer.
“Welcome to the family, Elise.”
I raised my own beer. “Thanks.”
The End
A Note from the Author:
I would like to thank my readers who continue to enjoy my work and support what I do. Without you, I couldn’t write the stories that I love so much. If you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, I have done my job.
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Clara Cody
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