Ascension

by Natasha Brown

  Unsure of himself, he turned his focus to the moon, shining bright. He may not have had a lighter, but he hoped it would do. As confident as Mac appeared, Chance wasn’t sure it would be so easy. Because his lack of confidence wasn’t greater than his love for Ana, he breathed out and temporarily let go of his apprehension.

  The circle of light blurred in his vision and the thump, thump, thump of his heartbeat pulsed in his ears and chest. Chance thought back, trying to recall the vision of flying through the sandstone valleys.

  He held his breath so long that he grew faint. Just when he gasped for a lungful of oxygen it happened: the image of the Colorado River, shimmering in daylight, filled his mind. Flying upstream, he broke off from the main tributary and cut through a narrow canyon, whose base was filled with water. His wings carried him up, over the top of the sandstone walls. Above, a large, round boulder was balanced on a ledge. The shadow of a reddish handprint could be seen on top of it as he coasted overhead.

  Just past the boulder an opening was visible in the sandstone and a crack in the rock large enough to fly through. Inside was a cavern filled with water. He remembered this place; he’d seen it in his last memory. The green water shone like a piece of jade in the sunlight, which filtered in from the openings above. He flew to the same smooth ledge, high above the shiny surface and stopped.

  The memory faded away. His head was tilted back and he was still staring at the moon. Chance blinked and thought about the new piece of the puzzle that had been revealed. A large boulder with a handprint on it. Maybe that was the missing information he needed to find the location.

  Picking himself off the ground, he dusted off his pants and considered continuing the search at night. It was a short-lived thought when he concluded it wouldn’t be easy—even dangerous on top of that.

  Time to sleep.

  He returned to the boat and found Batukhan stretched across the back with his feet resting up on the edge. Mac was asleep at the wheel with his captain’s hat pulled down over his face. Chance stepped in as quiet as he could and sat in a free seat. He remembered his phone and searched the spot where he’d left it earlier, but couldn’t see it. On his hands and knees, he combed the floor and then his bag, but there was no sign of it.

  With a sinking feeling, he leaned over the edge of the boat and stared into the dark water. Finding no trace of his cell, he slumped back into his seat and hoped Ana hadn’t been trying to contact him.

  Chapter 21

  Her skin was cold, but it didn’t matter. The cold didn’t pierce below the surface. A billow of steam curled from her mouth as she breathed. It was illuminated by the moonlight bathing the forest in a silvery glow.

  A middle-aged man stood before her and a younger teen beside him. Fear was in the man’s eyes when he choked out, “Why are you making us do this? I don’t understand.”

  “It’s not for you to understand,” Ryan’s voice hissed. “Do just what I told you and your families will remain safe, but you’d better not screw up.

  “I won’t, I won’t,” the man said with assurance. He pulled off his shirt, kicked off his shoes and phased into an owl. The creature rotated its head around to look at her and blinked.

  On the other side of her, the teenager shifted into a fox and scurried a few feet away, then looked over his shoulder.

  Ryan snapped, “What are you waiting for?”

  Flapping its wings in a rush, the owl took off into the air. It rose above the trees and flew across the sky. The small fox rushed down the hillside and out of sight.

  The wait is over.

  Ana woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest and her hair sticking to her temple with sweat. A soft glow radiated out from her exposed skin. It heated her from within, but it wasn’t as painful as the last time. With a shaky hand, she rubbed her forehead and noticed Jordan slumped over, asleep in the chair at the foot of her bed.

  She wished Chance were there to comfort her. He was gone, but at least she wasn’t entirely alone.

  “Hey, Jordan. Wake up,” Ana whispered.

  He sighed and his lids fluttered open. Jordan rubbed the sleep from his eyes and when he finally looked directly at Ana, they widened.

  “I fell asleep—what happened?”

  Her stupid heart wouldn’t slow down. It was rattling away at a reckless pace, making her pant and grow even more uneasy. She managed to say, “I had another dream with Ryan in it. He was making some shifters do something, but I don’t know what. I’m scared.”

  “And glowing,” said Jordan, “we should get Lifen.”

  They left the room and walked into the dark hallway. The house was silent. Everyone was asleep, except for Lifen who was outside on guard. When they got to the opening of the living room, moonlight poured in through the windows.

  The front door flew open, revealing Lifen. “I sense another shifter nearby. Stay inside and lock up while I go look—”

  Before Ana or Jordan could do or say anything in response, she was gone and the door slammed shut.

  “Oh my God,” Ana whimpered.

  Jordan ran to the door and flipped the deadbolt. “There’s no other ways in, right?”

  Ana answered, “I don’t think so.”

  They stood and stared at each other for a moment, both struck dumb and immobile. She wished she could shift into a mouse so she could hide in a crack in the wall, but there was only one problem. Ana was still glowing with luminescence and didn’t want to endanger her friends. She didn’t know what would happen if she shifted again. It could send her energy spinning out of control. Glowing in the dark made it hard to hide too.

  Jordan seemed to be thinking the same thing. “Maybe you should go into a room with no windows—the bathroom. Or cover yourself with a blanket. We should wake the others, right?”

  She could tell a million things were going through his head. With Chance gone, he felt the responsibility to protect her. But no one could protect her from her fate.

  Ana wanted to put both of their nerves at ease, so she ran into the living room and grabbed a blanket off the couch. She wrapped it around her head and body, only allowing her face to be exposed. Jordan hurried beside her and leaned forward to look out the windows.

  The moon provided enough light to see by, although Ana didn’t see any movement outside, but that only made her more wary.

  “I don’t see anything,” Jordan whispered, nearly pressing his face against the windowpane.

  The sound of distant shattering glass filled the air. Jordan and Ana turned around to look in the direction it had come—the other end of the house. Lifen’s room.

  “Lifen’s glass lookout,” Ana whispered.

  If her heart was beating fast when she woke from her dream, there was no comparison now. The pounding filled her ears and so did her ragged breath.

  Jordan ran to the hallway and paused.

  “No, Jordan, come here!” Ana blurted out.

  He held his pointer finger up, while he craned into the darkness. After a minute he called, “Who’s there?”

  A familiar voice answered, “You’d better get out of my way. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Jordan swallowed and said with a shaky voice, “I’ll do what I need to to protect my friends. I won’t let you hurt her.”

  Ryan walked out from the shadows while he tied a sheet around his waist. His eyes were sunken in and his face, gaunt. Long blond hair hung to his tattooed shoulders. As rugged as he always looked, he was frightening now.

  A callous laugh came from Ryan’s lips. “Hurt her? That’s rich, coming from you. It’s all of you I’m saving her from. Get out of the way, little boy, I didn’t come to play.”

  Jordan balled his hands into fists. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I know Ana doesn’t want to go with you, so you’d better leave.”

  Before Ryan could make any further comment, fur erupted over Jordan’s body. He sank onto all fours and stepped out of his lounge pants, although his T-shirt still hung around
his neck and front legs. He must have learned some new forms training with Batukhan, because he was now twitching his nose as a cougar.

  “Looks like teacher’s pet’s grown up.” Ryan sneered.

  Things were moving too fast. Ana didn’t like where this was going. “Please don’t do this—”

  He straightened slightly and focused on her for the first time. “But, you’re not healthy. All they want is to take your power. I can’t let that happen.”

  With that, he shifted into a large wolf, bigger than she’d ever seen. The fur was a deep silvery blue and his eyes were icy, laced with hunger. She’d seen Ryan take the shape of a wolf before, but he hadn’t looked anything like this. It frightened her.

  “You’re wrong,” she choked out. ”They care about me just like you do.”

  Ryan ignored her. He prowled toward the cougar standing in a T-shirt. As silly as Jordan looked half-dressed, he appeared to be aware of his situation. It was clear that Ryan was far larger than him and contained more power, but even so, Jordan stood ready to defend his friend. His shoulders lifted and his eyes held steady on his opponent.

  Ryan leapt into the air and came down on top of Jordan, who screeched in response. Their bodies twisted and rolled across the wood floor, a blur of yellow and gray fur.

  Ana’s mind raced and her throat went dry. Could she shift into an animal and stop the fight? That may not be safe for anyone. She was already radiating energy from her pores, she had no idea what would happen if she shifted right now. Not to mention, she was no fighter. The sight of blood only brought on her healing instincts.

  “Stop! Please! Leave him alone,” she cried into the moonlit space.

  Where was Lifen? She turned to peer out the windows into the night, but saw nothing. Not much time had passed since she’d left. Ana hoped she’d come back soon, because she had no idea how to stop Ryan.

  The wolf’s teeth were bared at the cougar that had backed itself into the corner of the entryway. Ana dropped the blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders to the floor. She snatched up the decorative glass orb sitting on the side table in the living room and threw it at Ryan.

  If she’d had more experience playing sports growing up, maybe it would have gone where she’d intended it. Instead it hit the front door, split in two and dropped to the floor. The sound spurred Ryan to action. He lunged toward the cat and his mouth wrapped around Jordan’s neck.

  Tears poured from Ana’s eyes and streamed down her face. Her whimpering couldn’t be suppressed. “No,” she moaned, “no!”

  A burst of blue light and air pulsed out from the cat’s body. The wolf dropped the animal’s limp form to the floor. The air left Ana’s lungs and she sank down into the carpet, unable to speak.

  Movement came from the hallway. Derek and Gabby appeared, eyes bleary with sleep. They first focused on Ana crying in the living room, but when the wolf stumbled away from the cougar’s corpse, drunk on power, they stepped back in surprise.

  “What’s going on?” Derek yelled in confusion.

  Gabby ran to Ana’s side. “Are you okay?”

  With her face cupped in her hands, Ana squeezed her eyes shut. All of this was her fault. All of the hurt her loved ones had ever experienced was because of her. There would only be more destruction if she didn’t do something and now.

  Heavy from the pain filling her heart, she cried, “How could you do that to your friend? I know you’re in there somewhere, Ryan. Look at what you’ve done.”

  Her hands fell away from her face and she slowly rose from the ground, staring at the wolf near the door. Gabby began speaking in Spanish and Derek looked from Ana to the crumpled animal on the floor. His face contorted in pain, then deepened in fury.

  The enormous wolf sat on its haunches and shifted back into a man. Ryan, shaggy and disoriented, frowned when he studied Jordan’s dead body. Confusion and sadness followed.

  Ana sobbed, “He didn’t deserve it!!”

  Ryan scratched his head and mumbled, “There was a reason, there was a reason. What was it again? I can’t remember why . . .”

  Swearing so loudly it echoed through the house, Derek threw himself at Ryan. In an instant, and almost robotically, Ryan reached behind him, grabbed one of the halves of the glass orb and threw it at the moving target. It hit Derek on the temple, leaving a gash. He stumbled and fell to the grass mats, landing just beside Ryan, who stood up and retrieved the sheet that had been used as his wrap. After securing it around his waist again, he stretched his arms, chest, neck and head. Then he turned his attention to Ana.

  The sadness and confusion that were there moments ago was gone. His blue eyes were dark and soulless. A chill went down her back as she recalled the last time she’d faced the same pursuer. Only then he’d been inhabiting Chance.

  “Daemon,” she said.

  A brief flicker of surprise traveled across his face and then he planted his fists on his hips. “It’s time I was recognized for my greatness, although I’ve wished to remain hidden for so many lifetimes. I’m through with that now. Now that you’re to be mine and I’m so close to becoming an immortal god.”

  “Back off,” Gabby said, grabbing a lamp off the side table and holding it out in front of her.

  Ana put her hand out to hold her back. She didn’t want anyone else hurt. Derek was still alive, but definitely needed help. A trickle of blood oozed down his temple as he lay unconscious.

  Ryan’s focus remained on Ana. He continued talking as though he didn’t even see the girl waving a lamp at him. “My host has the same weakness for you as the last one did. I don’t understand the appeal, but I do appreciate your value. I was surprised not to find the other one here. That makes my job even easier, but less fun.”

  “What do you want?” she asked, although she knew the answer.

  Ryan smirked, which only looked frightening. “If you know who I am, then I think that must be clear, my precious star maiden. I’ve been waiting for a girl like you for a very, very long time. I tried and tried to consume enough power to ignite myself so I could fuse with the energy of the world—to become a true god. It was impossible. I failed, but not for a lack of trying. When I was bored with that, I had fun toying with the great and powerful, those born with real power and those who only thought they were. Gathering their wealth was a pastime and stealing relics of shifters. I have quite a collection.”

  Heat radiated from her chest, painfully now. The moonlight touching the living room was dimmer than the light that glimmered from her skin. She wasn’t sure if she could hold it in. It was too powerful.

  He stopped to appreciate her and lifted his nose as he stared. “I understand it is a sight to behold. Quite painful too. We really must go since your protector should be back soon. She will have caught up to my shifter friends who lured her away. We have a plane waiting for us so I can take you to a special place. A place that will become hallowed ground once I ascend to greatness. Time to go.”

  “She is not going anywhere with you,” Gabby spat.

  Ryan tilted his head. His eyes lifted from her feet, up to her face. “You would like to stop me. Maybe I should let you kill me so I can take a new host. I’m leaving here with her or inside of her.” He stared at Ana, who went surprisingly cold. “She knows she has to go. She has no choice.”

  Wide-eyed, Gabby looked over at her. Ana took a deep breath, trying to think her way out of the situation and came up short.

  He continued to speak directly to her. “Let me explain the situation to you. If you stay, I’ll just kill your friends—every last one of them, and I’ll do it in your body. There’s no stopping me. And if you haven’t noticed, you’re getting closer to returning to the stars. If that happens here, the whole place will go up in flames, along with the people in it. If you care about them at all, you’ll come with me now.”

  Ryan held his hand out to her. All she could think about was Chance. As much as she wanted to see him one last time, she was relieved he wasn’t there. He never woul
d have let her go and it would have been his body crumpled in the corner.

  She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Refusing to touch Ryan, she joined his side and said to Gabby, “I have to. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. Take care of Derek until Lifen gets back and—tell Chance I love him.”

  Before Ana followed Ryan out the front door, she knelt beside Jordan’s body and nuzzled her face to his. Just as she kissed his cheek, a tear fell from her eye, splashing onto his tan fur. Afraid to speak, she said to herself, Don’t let his sacrifice be spent in vain.

  A barn owl waited for her on the deck. She glared at it and without a second glance, she shifted into a horned owl and followed it into the skies.

  Chapter 22

  “I think we should take the boat up river further before we start flying,” Chance suggested as he filled his cup with water, then emptied it into his mouth.

  Mac tore open his third beef stick of the morning and ate it in three bites. His hat still sat on his head at a funny angle.

  Chance tossed and turned all night, which he assumed was due to the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements and Batukhan’s snoring. For more reasons than one he hoped they’d find the relic that day.

  “I like that idea.” Mac placed his free hand on the wheel.

  After Chance had woken, he’d scoured the boat for his phone but still hadn’t found anything. If they didn’t find Daemon’s hideaway by twilight, he’d decided to take the boat back to the harbor so he could call Ana.

  Batukhan was meditating on the back seat with his legs criss-crossed and eyes shut. Chance wasn’t sure if he’d heard his suggestion about boating upstream, but he didn’t care. “Captain Mac, can we get started now?”

  “Aye, aye,” Mac answered with a wink.

  Soon, they were curling their way out of the canyon, leading away from the Rainbow Bridge and the location of Mac’s unexpected confession last night. He had no idea if he should really trust him, but his instincts were telling him to. The one thing he kept thinking was, Niyol would have liked him if were alive. And he always told Chance to follow his instincts.