“Break what? Myron, you’re not making any sense!”
“And you said, they,” Jorja added, as she knelt next to Jade. “Who is they?”
“The…”
Myron gasped, his eyes rolling up in his head.
“Wait! Myron!” Jade lunged forward, shaking him. “We need more! You can’t just…” She shoved his cloak away, staring at the deep scratches on his chest, and the two puncture wound in the side of his neck.
“Jade is that…”
“A flipping vampire,” Jade muttered, as her phone beeped. She glanced at it, sighing. “It’s Julie. It’s an S.O.S. We gotta go.”
“I suppose the day wouldn’t be complete without some sort of demonic crisis,” Jorja said, rising to her feet. She glanced over her shoulder at Myron. “What about him? What do we do with him?”
“We have to send him to the afterlife,” Jade said. “He deserves at least that much. He’s been one of the more tolerable Gods.” She walked forward, staring down at him. “As light becomes dark, and a life comes to an end, we heed this moment to grieve for the fallen. Through time and space, let this God be forgiven for his sins, for his mistakes, and let him be welcomed into the afterlife.”
A white light danced over Myron’s body, and a moment later he was gone.
“That was nice, Jade,” Jorja said, looping her arm through Jade’s. “Now, come on! We’ve gotta get home!”
“Yes. Let’s see what can of worms Julie has opened up this time,” Jade muttered, rolling her eyes. “Have I mentioned that I hate being a witch?”
“Yes. Multiple times,” Jorja said, laughing. “Now let’s go!”
“You are much too excited about this,” Jade muttered. “Okay. Fine, let’s go. But remember…”
“Trouble always follows us. I know.”
Chapter 6
“Wait. You think I…”
Josslyn’s mouth dropped open, as she stared at Matthew. “Mr. Jenkins! I am not your ex-wife!”
“But you look just like her!”
“I assure you. You and I have never met until a few minutes ago,” Josslyn said, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the man. “Not to mention that you’re accusing me of something horrible! I have children, Mr. Jenkins! I would never, ever tear a family apart. That is not who I am!”
“Then why does she look just like you?”
“I don’t know!”
“You have to know something!”
“I don’t, okay!” Josslyn shouted as she glared at the man. “I don’t know who she is. I don’t know why you were lead to me. I just don’t know!”
“Then what do you know?”
“That I’m going to get to the bottom of this one way or another,” Josslyn said, sighing. She twirled a lock of her red hair around her finger, staring down at the photograph once more, before raising her head to look at Matthew. “I am sorry for what you went through, Matthew. For what you’ve gone through, but please don’t come in here accusing me of things.”
“I never meant to accuse you,” Matthew said, sighing, as he plopped down in the seat. “I let my anger get the best of me. I let my fear get the best of me, and that’s not fair.” He sighed, running a hand over his face. “I just know I have to find her. The way we ended things… it wasn’t good. For either of us. I need closure.”
“And I, am going to help you get it,” Josslyn said. “But please tell me you believe what I’m telling you.”
“I’m not sure what I believe…” He suddenly trailed off, his eyes widening, as the ground suddenly shook underneath them.
“Whoa!”
Josslyn cried out, reaching forward and gripping the desk as the ground shook underneath her. God, please tell me this isn’t happening again, she thought, please tell me I am not experiencing another damned earthquake!
“Josslyn! Watch out!”
Matthew’s shout sounded, and she raised her head, as the roof above her crumpled. She turned, lunging out of the way, and the ground suddenly opened up below her.
“You’re mine!”
Hands reached forward, grabbing her by the ankle, and she screamed. She dug her hands into the ground, kicking at the beasts as they tried to drag her below. “Help!”
“Josslyn!”
Matthew raced across the room, grabbing her by the arm. “I got you,” he whispered, as he pulled her up.
“No!”
Hands gripped tighter around her ankle, and Josslyn turned, kicking. She winced, as it’s nails dug into her skin, and she stared below her. Wait. I know them! They’re vampires!
Matthew gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening their grip around her shoulders, and he pulled her back. She kicked her leg out, pointing her finger, ice flinging from her fingers and down into the depths of hell.
“Ahh!”
A scream sounded, and Matthew pulled her back. They stumbled back, falling to the ground, and Josslyn laughed. She glanced over at Matthew. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Matthew said, turning, his eyes widening. “Ah, Josslyn, what’s that?” he asked, pointing.
“What’s what?” Josslyn asked, turning, and yelping as a shadow with short, dark, red hair wearing a wedding dress raced toward her.
“Matthew! Watch out!” she shouted, shoving him out of the way and spinning on her heel. She flung her hand forward, icicles shooting from her palms and striking the woman in the chest, the woman disappearing from sight a moment later.
“Ah, Josslyn?” Matthew rose to his feet, staring down at her. “What on earth was that? Who was that? And how the hell did you just do that?”
Josslyn sighed, closing her eyes.
“Josslyn.”
She snapped her eyes open, staring at the hand he had stretched out to her. Reluctantly, she placed her hand in his, letting him drag her to her feet.
“Matthew, there are some things I have to tell you,” she said, slowly raising her head to stare up into his bright, green eyes. “Some things, that can never leave this room, and I’m pretty sure have to do with your daughter’s disappearance.”
Chapter 7
I can’t do this.
Jasmine flipped through the folder on her desk, blinking back tears as she stared at the photo of a young, dark-haired boy. Her heart thudded against her chest, and she bit her lip, trying to keep the tears at bay.
This isn’t fair, she thought. I miss him so much! We were supposed to be together forever. We were supposed to have a family together, and now, everything is just all messed up!
“Jasmine?”
She blinked, the voice breaking through her thoughts, watching as Lilah walked out of her office and headed toward her.
“Hey, Lilah. What’s up?”
“What’s up?” Lilah crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring down at Jasmine. “Jasmine, I know it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. You’ve been pretty busy with law school, and I’ve been pretty busy here, but I can tell something’s wrong. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Jasmine said, flipping the folder closed.
“Bullshit.”
“What?” Jasmine gasped, spinning around. “What did you just say?”
“I said bullshit.”
“Lilah.” Jasmine sighed, closing her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts and the words she wanted to say. “You’re my boss. Not my therapist. Not my friend. You don’t want to hear about my issues.”
“Jasmine, I thought we were closer than that,” Lilah said, sitting in the chair next to her and laying a hand over hers. “We’ve been working together for a long time, Jasmine. I’ve told you about my life. You’ve told me about yours, and I consider you a friend. Please, talk to me. What’s going on?”
Jasmine laughed. “Oh, Lilah, I feel like my life’s falling apart,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Every time I open one of these files, I think about Sky. The life that we’d planned together. The family that we were going to have. I feel pathetic! I can’t even get away from my thou
ghts and do my job!”
“Jasmine.” Lilah squeezed her hand. “You have to give it time. Sky left what, weeks ago? You need to give yourself time to heal.”
“But it hurts!” Jasmine cried. “All I feel is this sharp pain in my chest and it won’t go away!”
“Mending a broken heart is never easy, Jasmine,” Lilah told her. “And what he did to you. Leaving you the way he did, it’s not right. You deserve better, Jasmine.”
If only she knew the truth, Jasmine thought, wincing at the lie she’d told everyone in the office. That Sky had left her. I’m sorry, Sky. “I know,” she finally whispered. “But what do I do?”
“You give yourself time to grieve, and you go home and rest,” Lilah told her. “You look like you haven’t slept in weeks, Jasmine. That’s not healthy. Go home. Get some sleep and in three days you and I are going to go through these files together.
“Why three days?”
“Because I am giving you three days to figure everything out. To grieve. To rest. So come to terms with how you’re feeling, and then you and I are going to pour some late nights into these files before classes start up again for you.”
“Agh. Classes.” Jasmine wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I don’t even want to think about classes!”
“You’re almost done. Just a couple more semesters, and you’ll have that degree, Jasmine,” Lilah said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Now go home.”
Right. Home. Where everywhere she turned she thought of Sky. The moments they had shared. The laughter, the demons they’d faced together.
Too bad I can’t go back in time and erase him from my life, she thought. Maybe it would be easier if she had never met Sky. If she had never fallen in love with him. Maybe she would never feel the pain she was feeling now.
“Okay. I’ll go,” she whispered. “But only if you go too. You look like you haven’t slept either.”
“And that is because of a totally different reason,” Lilah informed her, rising to her feet. “I’ll tell you about it soon.” She gave Jasmine a wink. “Goodnight, Jasmine.”
“Goodnight.”
Jasmine rose to her feet, reaching for her purse, just as her phone beeped.
S.O.S
She sighed. Perfect. Just what she wanted. Some sort of demonic emergency interrupting her… again. It was like she didn’t have any time to do anything! She didn’t have time to study. She didn’t have time to go searching for Sky. It was so annoying!
She shoved the door open, shuddering, at the bitter coldness of the late, January day, withdrawing her phone to order a rideshare.
“Help me.”
She froze, lowering the phone, cocking her head to the side. What the hell was that?
“Help me.”
Again the plea sounded, and she turned, racing off across the street.
Sure, Jasmine. Let’s just go into a dark alley. That’s smart. Who knows what’s waiting for you in there!
“Ha! Ha! You like that, you piece of garbage?” A man dressed in dark clothing asked as he hunched down next to a lump lying in the ground. “It’s what you deserve after everything you’ve put us through!”
“Can we feed on him yet?” Another man in dark clothing asked as he stood behind him. “I’m hungry!”
Ah great. Vampires, Jasmine thought, sighing. She cleared her throat. “Ahem.”
They both turned, big grins spreading across their lips as they caught sight of her.
“Well, well, look who it is. It’s a witchy witch,” the vampire said, as he walked toward her. “You look good enough to eat. Better than that lump of lard on the ground behind us.”
“Is that how you talk about all of your meals?” Jasmine asked, lifting her head. She froze, her eyes widening, as her gaze connected with his. Oh shit.
“Only when they’re not as beautiful as you,” the vampire said, wrapping his hand around her throat and shoving her backward. He grinned, leaning forward and sniffing, his hand cupping her cheek, trailing down to brush the hair away from her neck. “I bet you taste even better.” He lunged forward.
“Hey!”
The shout sounded, and he swung around. Jasmine blinked, the haze that had clouded her mind clearing and she shoved the vampire back with all of her strength. He stumbled back, and she flung her hand out. The two vampires flying through the air and hitting the walls with a loud thunk.
Well, that was stupid, Jasmine, she thought, as she raced across the alley toward the body lying on the ground next to the dumpster. Did you forget that vampires can manipulate you with just a look?
Of course she hadn’t. She’d seen first hand what they could do when she’d watched Julie marry Elijah in the underworld. Vampires were trouble with a capital T!
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, sliding to a stop and kneeling next to the person laying on the ground. Her eyes widened when she recognized the gold cloak. “Oh my God! You’re a God!”
“Jasmine. Thank God!” the woman cried, staring up at her. “I’ve been trying to contact you and your sisters. Something’s happening,” she gasped out, her breath coming out in harsh, ragged breaths.
“What? What’s happening?”
“The vampires. The werewolves. They’re coming,” the woman whispered. “They’re taking us out one by one. They’re trying to claim their place. To become stronger than ever, and they need your sister to do it.”
“What sister?”
“Josslyn. You have to find her, Jasmine. You have to protect her. You have to protect her from the vampires and the werewolves!” She gasped, her eyes rolling upward, and falling motionless into the dirt.
“Wait! No! You can’t just say that and die on me!” Jasmine cried, shaking the woman. Her eyes widening when she saw the deep scrape along her chest, and the two puncture wounds in her neck. “You’re a God! You’re supposed to be immortal!”
“You haven’t heard?” one of the vampires asked, as he stumbled to his feet. “We’ve killed all of them, and soon, you and your sisters will be dead too.” He lunged toward her.
Jasmine lifted her hands, and a sphere suddenly struck the vampire through the heart, his body combusting in a cloud of dust.
“What?”
“We need to get out of here,” a man said, his face covered by his black hood, as he raced forward. He grabbed her by the arm, dragging her out of the alley. “They’re coming!”
“Who’s coming?”
“The vampires!”
Chapter 8
Sky groaned, tossing and turning in the bed. He closed his eyes, trying for the life of him to fall asleep, but something wasn’t letting him.
I just want to sleep! he thought, throwing the pillow over his head. He closed his eyes, an image of a young, blonde woman coming to mind, and his eyes snapped open.
Who is that woman? I see her every night when I close my eyes, but I can never see her face. Who is she?
He sighed, letting out a sound of frustration, then his eyes widened, when he saw himself floating just above the bed.
What the hell?
“Oomph!”
He gasped, his body pummeling downward and dropping back down onto the bed with a loud thump.
What the hell is going on with me? he wondered, sitting up on the bed, and rubbing his eyes. For the last month, strange things had been happening to him. Voices in his head. Visions of the past. Visions of various women. It didn’t make any sense!
“Help me.”
The voice sounded in his head, and he jerked his head up.
“Help me.”
Again, the voice sounded and he jumped up from the bed. God! I need some air. I’m losing my freaking mind!
He crossed to the door, and hurried down the stairs, peering into his sister’s room. He smiled, as he watched her sleep. She’s out like a light. She wouldn’t miss him if he was gone for a few hours.
He turned, tiptoeing down the stairs, shrugging on his jacket and slipped out into the night.
“Sky?”
&
nbsp; He ducked his head, hurrying down the sidewalk.
“Sky? Is that you?”
Again the voice sounded, and he sighed, turning, as a figure walked toward him. He’s young, he thought, gazing at the young, dark-haired man in front of him. “Something I can do for you?” he asked, raising a brow at the man.
“You don’t remember me. They told me that might happen.” The man said, sighing. He raked a hand through his hair, staring out into the distance before turning back to Sky. “Sky, I know this isn’t going to make any sense right now, but we need your help.”
“Who needs my help?”
“Everyone!” the man shouted. He turned, glancing over his shoulder, and quickly lowered his voice. “Sky, we’ve been searching everywhere for you. Ever since Liam got his hands on you. You are the only one who can save us.”
“And you are obviously crazed,” Sky said, shoving past the man and continuing down the hallway. “Save you? I don’t even know you! Hell, I don’t know myself!”
“But I know you!” the man cried, hurrying after him. “Come on, Sky! You’re saying you don’t remember me at all? Come on, it’s me, Jasper!”
“I don’t know anyone named Jasper.”
“Yes, you do! We trained up in the heavens together!”
“The heavens?” Sky raised a brow. “Dude, are you on drugs? I’m not dead! I’ve never been to the heavens.”
“But you were dead, Sky, remember? You were hit by that truck. Your family, they buried you. They were at your funeral.”
“No. That was just a dream.”
“No. It was real. Just like the destiny you have to fulfill, isn’t a dream. It’s reality, Sky, and it’s that destiny that has you out here right now. It’s because you want to help. You always have, and you have made the world a better place.” He held his hand out. “Here. Take this.”
“What is it?” Sky asked, staring at the sphere the man handed him. “And why do I need it?”
“For the vampires. They’re growing stronger, and soon, they’re going to be looking to join allies with another. This sphere is laced with holy water. It’ll kill any vampires you touch with it. Now go, Sky. Save them, and maybe, in return, you’ll finally remember who you are.”
Bitten (The Wiccan Way Book 7) Page 4