Sacrifice

by Denise Grover Swank

  “But Raphael said the water mark was gone.”

  Will’s eyebrows raised in mock surprise. “Wow. There’s no way Raphael would ever lie to you.”

  She got up and went into the bathroom, looking over her shoulder in the mirror as Will watched her from the bed. Both marks were there. The only one missing was Will’s. “I don’t understand. What would he gain by lying?”

  “You know as well as I do that Raphael wants to mess with your head. I bet this was one more way to manipulate you.”

  She’d never checked, just taken his word for it. “But he seemed pretty upset when I mentioned that I had water, like he didn’t think I should.”

  Will stood and moved to the bathroom door. “Why are we talking about Raphael?”

  “This could be important.”

  He leaned against the doorframe. “Okay, so what do you think it means?”

  “Maybe it means I really am supposed to find Water. Maybe Raphael saw it and it freaked him out and that’s why he hid me away in Tennessee.”

  “So how do we find Water?”

  Her mouth twisted in contemplation. “I don’t know, but I suspect the answer is in the book.”

  “We just need to figure out how to translate it.”

  “Yeah.”

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, kissing her neck. “I say we worry about it tomorrow.”

  She smiled as his head moved lower.

  “If you need something to take your mind off it, I can take care of that.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes, grateful she’d found him. Grateful he wasn’t dead. She’d been given a second chance with Will and she wasn’t going to blow it this time. Nevertheless, he didn’t have a mark keeping him with her and he was in real danger if he stayed. Could she live with herself if something happened to him because of her? She pulled his head up and searched his eyes. “Will, you’re not stuck with me. You’re free to go anytime you choose.”

  He pulled her to his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist. With his free hand, he brushed the hair off her temple and kissed the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  ***

  After disappearing all afternoon, Aiden returned in the evening and insisted that Jake join him for a late dinner. Jake’s newest nanny brought him into the dining room at nine o’clock. The table was set, and light from a candelabra illuminated the room. Aiden sat at one end, his hands neatly folded on the table. The shadows stood still. Even the shadows were afraid of Aiden.

  Aiden’s head bobbed with a curt nod. “Thank you, Antonia. That will be all.”

  The nanny hurried from the room, leaving Jake to fend for himself. Not that she could have helped him.

  “Have a seat, Jacob.” Aiden waved his hand toward the plate next to him. “It’s time for a history lesson. Perhaps if you understand where you have come from you will be able to master your power with more authority.”

  Jake slid into the chair and placed the napkin on his lap. Kitchen workers usually hung along the wall waiting to serve them, but this time no one else was in the room.

  “You’re right. We’re alone.” Aiden scooped food onto Jake’s plate. “I wanted privacy.”

  Jake’s stomach rumbled but nerves sent sharp stabs of pain into his belly.

  “Years and years ago, four of us ruled the earth. There were lesser creatures, but four of were in control. Fire, air, water, and earth. We didn’t manipulate the elements every moment of the day. The world is self-sustaining so there’s no need for that. What we have is command over the elements. We can generate properties associated with the elements we govern. Your mother and I are fire.”

  The candle flames lowered until they burned with a blue flame.

  “We can create fire and we can manipulate it like the candle flames. But we control it as well. We can create a forest fire and send it one direction, make it stop and send it another. The fire is mine to command. It does not have free will. It must obey my orders, but I must be strong enough to override its true nature.

  “As you know, Alex and Raphael are air and earth, but they resigned the majority of their power to me centuries ago. They still possess a small portion of it, but what they possessed in the beginning has weakened over the years. Plus, it’s been so long since they’ve experienced their full potential that they’ve forgotten what they are truly capable of. Alex actually has more command over his true talent than Raphael. Raphael’s displays are parlor tricks used to impress and intimidate rather than to use with real purpose. Not to mention he’s fallen into madness, obsessed for centuries with a woman he continually lost. He forgot his main goal—survival.”

  Survival. And he and Mommy were a part of it. But Aiden said there were four. “What about Water?”

  Aiden tilted his head, a crooked smile lifting his lips. “A very good question. You’re a bright boy. Water was part of us, but Water and I didn’t see eye to eye on many things. When Alex and Raphael gave their powers to me, Water wanted no part of it and in fact protested the contest. He was concerned about one of us having more power than the others. Water thought it went against the true nature of our existence, that we were all created equal and distributing the equality made the world unbalanced. I thought it was poppycock and banished him. He put up a good fight, but was no match with my increased strength.”

  “Where is he?”

  Aiden studied him for a moment. “Another very good question, Jacob. And the answer is simple. I don’t know. That’s where I was today, searching for him. Usually he comes back every century or so and attempts to kill Alex and Raphael to end things once and for all, but never Emmanuella, not after his first attempt on her life.”

  Emmanuella? That was Mommy’s real name. “Why not?”

  Aiden gave him his lopsided smile. “We made an agreement that you needn’t concern yourself with. But have no worries. You and your mother are safe from Water. For now.”

  The shadows behind Aiden grew taller even though the flames on the candles barely lit the area around them. Their tips curled into claws that hung over Aiden’s shadow.

  The flames shot up several feet into the air and resumed their normal height.

  Aiden cut a piece of meat. Stabbing it with his fork, his hand stopped in midair. “Things are not going completely as I planned.” He took a bite and watched Jake as he chewed.

  Jake fought to keep from squirming under his gaze.

  “Water is up to something. We made a bargain a few decades ago that hasn’t turned out the way I expected. I love to gamble, but only when I’m sure the odds are in my favor, and in this instance I was sure it was a no-lose situation. If only I knew what he was up to…”

  Why was Aiden telling him this?

  Aiden laughed. “You need to know that Water is our enemy. He will deceive you. He will not stop until he’s seen us cast into the shadow world for eternity. And while he can’t personally hurt you, not yet, he can arrange for circumstances to turn against your favor, so never, for a moment, let your guard down.”

  They ate in silence, Jake forcing himself to swallow several bites. Could Water be scarier than Aiden? He didn’t think anything could be scarier than Aiden.

  Aiden set his napkin on the table and cleared his throat. “I think that will be all tonight, Jacob. Tomorrow we will resume work on your fire abilities. Good night.”

  Jake’s nanny appeared at the door and he followed her down the hall to his bedroom, trying to ignore the shadows that moved with him down the passageway.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Will decided to head to the Farmington, New Mexico area. After using James’s laptop to research the area, he found that Farmington was close to high voltage power lines located in the middle of unpopulated desert. It was obvious that Emma needed a lot more practice and fast, and he planned to start that night.

  She questioned again why he wanted to help her when he had few memories of her. As odd as it sounded, he did remember her, only with his heart instead of
his head. Will convinced her to let him help with her training, which included standing guard to make sure she didn’t kill herself or put herself in a vulnerable situation. She’d agreed, not stating what both of them were thinking. He might not have his mark, but he’d resumed the same duties.

  While she had more energy than the day before, she still looked tired. She woken in the middle of the night with a nightmare and when he pressed her for the details, she hesitated before telling him it was about a fire. It didn’t surprise him. Given his own history with fires, he was amazed he didn’t have night terrors of his own.

  Will drove while Emma scoured the book, searching for answers. She gnawed on her lower lip as she turned the pages.

  Will gave her a quick glance. “I studied the book a little when I was with James. I went over the prophecy, but it just doesn’t work. It says the Elevated One and the Supplanter are your children and will battle for control.”

  She lifted her gaze, shaking her head. “That’s the wrong prophecy.”

  “What?”

  “The Vinco Potentia translated the one in the book. In fact, Aiden was probably the one who did the translating. It’s different than the one Jake gave you with your mark.”

  “Do you have Jake’s version?”

  “Written down? No. Jake burned it into your head. Whenever you thought about it, it just appeared. Let’s see if I can remember it.” She closed her eyes and recited:

  “The land will fall desolate and cold

  As it waits for the promised ones

  God resides within the queen

  While she hides among the people of the exile land

  Hunted for that which she must lose

  One who is named protector, the Chosen One,

  Shall be a shield, counselor, companion

  The elevated one will arise from great sorrow

  In the full moon after the summer solstice

  His powers will be mighty and powerful

  He will rise up to rule the land

  The supplanter will challenge him

  But only one will be overcome

  By that which has no price.”

  “That’s completely different.”

  “It’s completely pointless. The prophecy means nothing. Raphael said it was something Aiden came up with to throw humans into the mix and make it more difficult for Alex and Raphael to win.”

  “So then why did Jake give me a different prophecy from the one the Vinco Potentia has? Why not just give me the same one if it means nothing?”

  “I don’t know…That’s a good point.” She gazed out the windshield. “And Alex and Raphael talked about you, the Chosen One. That I, or rather the Emmanuella before me, had never fallen in love with her protector before. That it went against the prophecy.”

  “So the prophecy does mean something.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Jake’s version says promised ones, plural. Who are they?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Me and Jake?”

  “So then who are the Elevated One and the Supplanter? ‘The Elevated One arises in sorrow in the full moon of the summer solstice.’”

  Emma shifted in her seat, tucking her legs underneath her. “The Vinco Potentia said that was the baby. There’s no baby now. The prophecy means nothing.”

  “Let’s not dismiss it so quickly. Are you the Elevated One? The Elevated One rises up to rule the land and the Supplanter challenges him. It says you’re the queen. Queens rule.”

  “It says him. It’s not me.”

  “It could be like the Bible. You know, a generic him.”

  “You’re grasping at straws, Will.”

  “You’re damn right I’m grasping. We’ll sort through every line of this book if we have to. I’m trying to save you, Emma.”

  She reached over and put her hand on his. “I know you are.”

  His fingers curled over hers. “We’ll figure out how to read it. We’ll find Water somehow.” Not that he’d ever admit it to her, but part of him balked at the idea of finding Water. Will had to admit he was jealous that she needed someone else to help save her and that he wasn’t enough, but he wasn’t petty enough that it stopped him from helping her find the bastard.

  Raphael and Alex wanted to join with her. What if Emma was right and it meant more than joining powers? From what little Emma had said, Raphael insinuated it was much more intimate. The water mark on her back meant something, but the possibility of what it meant was what frightened him. Could Will help her find the man who she might be destined to join with? Could he willingly give her up? Yet he knew the answer, no matter how much it would destroy him.

  The fear that Water was just as evil and manipulative as Aiden, Alex, or Raphael gnawed at Will’s gut, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that. His only hope rested on the fact that Water hated the other three. That alone made Will like him already. Almost.

  Emma lay her head on Will’s shoulder and sighed. “Thank you.”

  Kissing the top of her head, he decided if he was forced to give her up, he’d spend every minute he could with her.

  ***

  Emma was exhausted. The stars lit up the desert sky in a blaze she’d never seen before, turning the Milky Way into a creamy band that ran across the horizon. But she didn’t have the inclination or energy to enjoy it.

  “You have to do it again. Longer this time.” Will sat on the hood of the car, thirty feet away.

  Nodding, she took a deep breath and held out her hands, one pointed toward the metal towers strung with electrical wires. She twisted her right foot into the sandy ground, trying to get a better foothold. Closing her eyes, she focused on energy and felt it, realizing it felt stronger every time she reached out to it. Her core called to it and, as with every time she’d attempted this tonight, she gasped when raw, powerful energy flooded through her arm into her chest and then out through her opposite fingertips toward a bush. It instantly burst into flames, the desert wind making the fire dance and crackle.

  “There’s nothing left to practice on,” Emma said, slightly winded. She had to be doing something wrong if she felt so tired and breathless. Raphael never appeared this exhausted.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. Now what?”

  He pushed away from the car. “I don’t know. I’m surprised you got it this quickly without passing out.”

  “But there has to be more. I have to be able to do more than blow things up.”

  “Which you’re quite good at, by the way.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, whatever.”

  “You said you could control minds. You could practice that.”

  A shiver ran down her spine. “No.”

  “You can practice on me.”

  “First, we’re here for me to practice using outside energy sources. I don’t need electricity to control someone’s mind. Second, the only other person I see out here is you, and that is not happening.”

  “Just one little—”

  “Which part of no do you not get? For all I know, it could cause you permanent brain damage. No.”

  “Emma, you need to practice—”

  “Yeah, I got plenty of practice on Kramer at the Vinco Potentia compound, and I freaked out that I’d turned him into a zombie.” Thinking about Kramer in the compound reminded her of all the people she had killed. If her dreams were any indication, this was only the beginning. “For now, we’ll stick with fire.”

  ***

  When they returned to the motel in the early morning, Emma collapsed on the bed and fell asleep within minutes. Will had a harder time, his mind a tangled mess as it sorted through the events of the past week. He lay in the dark with his hand behind his head, listening to the slow, steady breathing of the woman next to him.

  For the first time, he let his mind go to the topic he had avoided since he left Morgantown.

  James.

  Never in a thousand lifetimes would Will ever think James capable of betraying him. Not after
everything they had been through. Through twenty-five years to hell and back, James had stuck with him through everything. Even after the court-martial and dishonorable discharge. His own family may have disowned him, but James had taken him in and had been the one to kick his ass after he’d spent two solid weeks drinking to forget it all. Not that he could forget what happened.

  Ever.

  Even now the screams of those kids echoed in his head. But James had shown him tough love, forcing him to get back into the world. Until he realized what Will’s new profession involved. He’d been on his ass to quit since the day he’d started three years ago. James wanted Will to come live with him at the lake, but the thought of spending all his time with nothing but peace and quiet made Will want to claw his eyes out. Still, he’d finally caved, telling James that he had a big job coming up that would pay him a shitload of money and then he’d retire. He had no intention of staying with James indefinitely. Just long enough to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Turned out he’d found it during the past month with the woman next to him.

  Seeing her in person had confirmed she wasn’t his usual preference. She was pretty enough but not stunning. At least until she smiled. When she smiled, the ice around his heart melted, releasing hope.

  She whimpered in her sleep and her breathing increased.

  He rubbed her arm. “Emma?”

  She jerked upright, her eyes open in terror.

  Will sat up and pulled her into a hug. “Hey, what happened?”

  “I had the dream again.”

  “The one with the fire?”

  “Yes, it’s stronger. I think it’s getting closer.”

  He lifted her chin, finding her eyes in the dim light. “No, it’s just a dream. Come here.” Pulling her down, he placed her head on his chest as he cradled her body against his, amazed at how perfectly she fit. He stroked her hair until her breathing steadied again.

  When he woke later that morning, she still slept, rolled over on her stomach. He knew she had to be exhausted from all the work she’d done the night before. He wanted her to sleep as long as possible. His plan was to lay low during the day then go back out at night when it was cooler.