by Salem Cross
“I do not see you wearing these necklaces,” Gabriel pointed out as he gazed at all three Guardians surrounding me.
“Because it no longer affects us,” Arthur assured him.
“And why is that?” Ashe demanded.
I sighed and answered for Arthur, knowing Ashe had already guessed it. “Because they absorbed some of my power the other day, and since then they have been okay.”
“So you have corrupted their minds,” Ashe shouted and took a step towards me.
“I didn’t corrupt anyone,” I told him calmly. I surprised Ashe by taking a step towards him. Rylan pulled me back immediately. “Chill the fuck out, and either take the necklaces or I’ll zap you later when you try to kill each other. The choice is yours.” I threw up my hands in aggravation.
Without wasting any more breath, I turned around and headed back towards the house. The others could deal with this. If this was how the rest of the Guardians were going to react, then I needed to steal away for a while so I could regain my patience.
“I will take the necklace,” I heard Gabriel say behind me.
I opened the front door and walked into the house. Why did I have a feeling this was going to be a long day?
Chapter Fifteen
Rylan
Inside, Gabriel and Ashe listened as we told them the story of Mae. It was interesting to watch a myriad of emotions cross their faces. I watched as they tried to recompose themselves each time they felt a new emotion and struggled to remain indifferent. During their time around Mae, they would have to learn how to manage their feelings. Watching their struggle was strange. I knew exactly how they felt. Walking in to find Mae and Arthur in Arthur’s VIP lounge in Chicago, I had been bombarded with emotions that Mae had invoked. It had been nearly impossible to remain calm and apathetic as I listened to Arthur explain the situation.
The difference between me and the two Guardians was that Mae was mine. I would now live curse-free while they would eventually have to endure living life without emotions once more. To get used to emotions that would not last… It sounded like a form of torture. Guilt swirled around in my gut. It was the same for Arthur and Jasmine. Their support and their help figuring out how to help Mae would mean they would be around for longer, but eventually, our time with them would end, and we would go our own way. Arthur had high hopes that Mae would be able to break the curse over all of us permanently. That was a heavy load to place on Mae’s shoulders. While it would be wonderful if she could, I did not expect Mae to be the answer to lifting the curse.
As I shared our predicament, I understood how insane this all must sound. The gods were supposed to be long gone. To hear that Mae had not only had some sort of communication with one but had also had been in the presence of one was beyond worrisome. I shared all of our findings with them. When I got to the part of the story where Mae defeated a Kraken Gabriel stopped me. “How could Mae defeat a Kraken without any control of her power?” Gabriel asked skeptically.
“She is figuring it out,” Jasmine said softly. “Before the Kraken grabbed me, the werewolves were hunting us, and my attention was on them. This dark energy that washes over the park hit us, and Mae was able to contain her power without blacking out and letting it control her.”
I looked at Jasmine in surprise. Mae had failed to mention any of this.
“It took an immense amount of concentration,” Jasmine continued, “but she did it. She used that same focus to save me.”
“A Kraken, here, in the middle of nowhere…” Gabriel repeated. Barely contained astonishment coated his tone.
I turned my attention to Mae. Her constant self-doubt was her worst enemy. To know she was able to overcome whatever internal defense mechanism she had, and then defeat a creature that made Guardians quake, filled me with so much pride I thought I might burst from it. Reaching out with my senses, I found her up in one of the lofts, attempting to meditate. I had heard what the witch had suggested, and I appreciated the kindness from the Supreme. Instead of twiddling her thumbs, Mae was working hard to find control over her power. My heart swelled. My mate was doing everything she could.
“How did mermaids and a Kraken end up in a freshwater lake in Canada?” Ashe asked.
I eyed the Guardian. I had known Ashe for years, and while his reaction was what I had expected from the others, I had not expected it from him. He was usually much more progressive than most of us. While he had promised to help, he had certainly made his stance towards my mate clear. I would have to be extra wary over Ashe’s every move.
“That is one of the questions we need to figure out,” Arthur said. “Earlier, I found out that the shifter’s pack leader, her mate, and her beta are dead. They were last seen leaving this house, and they had to travel near the lake to get back to their pack. The werewolves were also seen in that area. I am guessing that Patricia and her men were attacked and killed there. I would like to explore the lake and the surrounding woods to see if there is something drawing these creatures there.”
“It is probably the dark magic in the air. But according to you, without Mae present, we will not be able to sense it,” Ashe pointed out. “What are you looking to accomplish without her there?”
“We may not be able to sense dark magic, but we can track the werewolves the old fashioned way. We can look for their travel patterns and see where they have been hiding out. If we find them, we eliminate them,” Arthur responded.
“Have you contacted Cain? He should have been looking into this,” Gabriel asked with a frown.
“Patricia, the shifter Alpha, told us she never met Cain during her time as Alpha,” Arthur said, “and he never responded to any of the previous Alpha’s requests for a meeting. He has gone missing, as far as we know.”
“Missing?” Gabriel repeated incredulously. His brows came together in a deep scowl.
“Is Cain missing or has he been murdered?” Ashe asked. “After Gabriel sent you the picture of Zein’s wings and the writing on the wall, we explored the rest of his home. His territory borders Cain’s, and he had notes about strange activity happening in his area as well.”
“Strange how?” I asked.
“The bear shifters in Montana have found more and more members disappearing or being murdered. If murdered, their insides have been removed, which indicates someone is trying to perform ritualistic acts. He noted that vampires have been acting drunk and seem to have a lapse in their memories. He even mentions something about acid rain destroying a part of the Kootenai National Forest. Zein mentions that he, too, reached out to Cain, but there is nothing that indicates he was able to get a hold of him,” Gabriel shared.
I traded looks with Arthur and Jasmine. While none of those issues seemed to apply to this area, the fact that both territories touched and both were experiencing unusual activities only solidified that something was going on.
“How do the last two Guardians that have lived here go missing and another Guardian who lives in the same vicinity get murdered without any of us realizing what is going on?” Jasmine asked after a moment of silence.
“There has been a rise in suicides within our community, Jasmine,” Arthur said with a sigh. “This curse will be the end to our species at the rate things are going now. Those of us who usually keep track of everyone have been so busy trying to fill the many empty territories left behind that I am sure this is just one of the many things that has slipped through the cracks.”
The solemn silence that followed Arthur’s statement was filled with sorrow for our fallen brethren. While it hurt to think of how many had been lost, it also felt like a small gift to be able to finally grieve properly for them. I glanced around the room at the others and realized they were probably thinking the same thing.
“Zein’s death was made to look like a suicide,” Gabriel said thoughtfully. He turned to look at Arthur. “Do you think that the uptick in suicides have really been murders that have been covered up?”
Arthur looked at Gabriel with alarm. “Lat
ely, those who have left us simply leave a note and disappear. There is no body to dispose of. So there is no way of knowing for sure… But let us hope that is not the case. It is possible that whoever killed Zein knew that Guardians have a tendency to take their own lives when they cannot handle the weight of our curse any longer. This could just be a singular instance within our community.”
“If Zein had suspicions about something, why would he not have mentioned it to you when you saw him in Chicago?” I asked Arthur.
Arthur shrugged, but it was Ashe who answered, “Maybe he did not know the extent of what he was dealing with. Maybe he thought he could take care of it on his own. We all have a tendency to do things on our own rather than ask for help.”
“I think it is safe to assume that Zein figured out what was going on here and was murdered for it,” I told the others. “If we find out who is behind this, we find his murderer.”
“Then let us do whatever possible to find this bastard,” Gabriel said with a sharp nod. “Who else did you contact about the happenings here?”
“Nikolas Richter, Camille Savage, and Devon Salah who will arrive today,” Jasmine said. “And three others will be joining us tomorrow..”
“If you show us where to go, Ashe and I will get a head start on checking out the lake. It will allow us to explore the area, and as the others trickle in, you will have the ability to talk to them as you have with us,” Gabriel offered.
Arthur, Jasmine, and I hesitated. Gabriel was wearing the necklace, but Ashe was not. Ashe’s eyes narrowed.
“Worried something will happen to us?” he asked. “Let me ask you this: Was your mate around when you all became violent? Maybe she is the reason behind it.”
The snarl that passed my lips was echoed by Arthur and Jasmine. I tried to choke down my animalistic response to his accusation, but I was too pissed off to speak. I wanted to close the distance between us and throttle the Guardian.
“This was happening long before any of us arrived, Ashe,” Arthur growled as he spoke for me. “It was Patricia who warned us about this unseen attack against our minds. It is not Mae.”
“The only time the four of us were together when this happened was when Mae saved us from ourselves,” Jasmine added as her brows pulled together in a deep scowl.
“It has nothing to do with me, asshole.” Mae’s disgruntled voice floated down from the third floor loft.
There was a pause before Arthur and Jasmine chuckled. I smiled. I was sure Mae had not intended for any of us to hear her. The tension within the three of us lessened. Even the corner of Gabriel’s mouth tugged upwards. Ashe glared in Mae’s direction but did not respond.
“I will show you where to search but stay aware,” Arthur warned them as we guided them into the office.
“Everything here is coated in dark magic,” Jasmine said.
We headed to the office, showed the two Guardians where on the map the lake was, and then Jasmine walked them out to show them the direction she and Mae had taken to the lake. Arthur and I watched the two Guardians take off before we both exchanged worried looks with one another.
***
Four hours later, just shortly after noon, our next wave of guests arrived. All four of us filed outside to greet them in the driveway. Mae fell behind on her own, letting me and the others handle the greeting. I could feel the tension rolling in her gut, but her expression was neutral, giving nothing away. I looked to the sky, and a moment later two Guardians with satchels over their shoulders came into view. They landed with a grace that came with years of practice.
The reaction to Mae was almost instantaneous. The surprise, confusion, and shock that rippled across each Guardian’s expression would never grow old. Devon strolled forward towards us, but his focus was solely pinned to my mate in wonder. I stepped in front of him, and he pulled his gaze away from Mae to look at me.
“Rylan, it is good to see you,” he said with a charismatic smile.
Devon’s good-natured smile was renowned for getting him what he wanted. The ease with which he could charm a woman was an ongoing joke amongst other supernatural creatures. He looked older since the last time I had seen him. Thin gray strands of hair could be seen racing through his jet black hair that was slicked back out of his face. There were lines around his eyes and his skin was not tan as it usually was. It must be close to his time to change territories. “Please excuse me for a moment. It seems that I have found my missing half.” The possessive look in Devon’s eyes as he stared at Mae caused knots to form in my stomach. Devon tried to walk past me, but I placed a hand in the middle of his chest. I felt the tension coil in his body. He looked at me again. His pupils narrowed, and his smile slipped.
“Devon Salah,” I said and then turned to the female warrior, “Camille Savage, it is my pleasure to introduce to you my mate Mae White.”
Thanks for changing my last name back, Mae’s said with amusement.
“Your mate? Impossible, my emotions have returned. What I am experiencing is the curse lifting and my soul shining back at me through this lovely woman,” Devon said flippantly and tried to walk past me again.
Arthur stepped closer to me, effectively blocking Devon’s view of Mae. Devon bared his teeth, his fangs lengthened, and his posture became defensive.
“She is my mate, Devon,” I assured him, trying to remain calm.
I wanted to react, to rip out the throat of the Guardian in front of me for even presuming that Mae was his. It was an animalistic instinct that would forever linger in my veins. It had eased up with Arthur and Jasmine the moment Mae and I had Joined, but it was still there, just as strong as ever, around the newcomers.
“What you are feeling is Mae’s ability to temporarily lift the curse over us,” Arthur explained to Devon calmly.
“Impossible,” Camille said a few feet behind Devon. She was a muscular woman with golden locks and piercing green eyes. The suspicious glare she pointed at my mate caused me to shift my stance ever so slightly to keep a better eye on her.
“It is very possible,” Arthur assured her.
“I do not understand. She can lift our curse? Does that have anything to do with her strange aura?” Camille asked.
“This is absurd, one woman cannot break a curse a god has created. Let me speak with Mae,” Devon snapped and tried to push past me.
“This is some sort of trick. She is an abomination!” Camille cried out. “Why do you protect this thing, Arthur? There is something amiss about her.”
Understanding crossed Devon’s face. His expression turned from annoyed to disgusted. His fangs lengthened as he turned his attention to Mae. His dark brows came together and his face became hollowed. He asked to no one in particular,
“Who is this woman you three protect so vehemently? Can you not sense the power in her? It is warped and wild and—,”
“Mae is a child of a god. That is what you all are sensing,” Arthur interrupted him calmly. “And we are protecting her because she is innocent of any wrongdoing. It is because of her we have learned of the workings of dark magic here and how it is corrupting the very woods we are standing in. Something is afoot, and we need your help to figure out what it is before it is too late.”
“Mae is a child of a god?” Camille whispered as her and Devon’s eyes bulged from their sockets.
“Yes, and we will explain it all when we head inside, but first, for your safety we need you to wear these,” Jasmine said as she pulled out two quartz necklaces from her pocket.
“Who are you to tell us what to do? What are those for?” Camille demanded.
“Camille,” Arthur called sharply. Camille pulled her steely gaze from Jasmine to pin Arthur down.
“Arthur, you better explain why that woman’s head is not on a stake and her body is not burning,” she growled.
“Camille, Devon,” Arthur sighed with exasperation, “I told you over the phone that there is dark magic lurking in these woods. Without Mae, we would not know the extent of how bad thin
gs are here. I need you to trust me. I trust Mae with my life, and you know I do not say that lightly. Jasmine is another individual whom I have high regard for and trust with my life.”
“We called you because we need your help,” I addressed them both. I glared at Devon who was watching Mae with a murderous gaze. “Someone is trying to bring the gods back to this realm. We are here to figure out who it is, where they are, and how to stop them. We have less than two months before the world could end.”
“If it is this serious, why not call all Guardians to the area?” Devon demanded.
“Clearly, because of how you have reacted at the sight of Mae,” Jasmine answered for me. “Convincing just two of you that she is to be trusted is a chore. Trying to convince an army of Guardians would be impossible. ”
“Give them the necklaces, Jazz,” Mae interrupted sharply.
I glanced over my shoulder, and my heart sank. Mae’s veins were glowing, and her body began to shake. She stumbled backward towards the door as her whole body jerked. She grabbed her midsection and doubled over in pain.
“Mae!” I cried out her name in alarm.
“Take the necklaces! We are about to experience an attack on our minds,” Jasmine yelled and tossed the talismans to the newcomers. Her wings ripped through her blouse, tearing it to pieces. I called upon my wings and braced myself. Both Devon and Camille watched as their necklaces fell to the ground. It was clear neither of them were going to wear it.
“An attack?” Camille repeated and turned her attention to Mae, expecting it to come from her. “What—,”
Since our arrival, I had been unable to sense the depravity that affected the others. Whether it was because of my involvement with Mae or just a genetic quirk, I could not be sure. But whatever the reason was, I was thankful that I was not affected as I watched as Devon and Camille suddenly went eerily still.
“Camille…” Arthur started cautiously, bringing up his hands in the age-old ‘I surrender’ motion.
For a single heartbeat, it was silent and still. Then, chaos erupted. Devon moved first, pulling his mace from the tattoo on his ankle. He spun on his heels and tried to attack me with it. I dipped out of the way and tackled him to the ground. Screeches rang out and the clanging of metal pierced the cool afternoon air. I gripped the wrist of the hand that held Devon’s mace while I used my body weight to pin him down. Devon’s mouth foamed. His red eyes were wild and unseeing.